Araverus Team|Friday, February 6, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Araverus Team
Feb 6, 2026 · 5:11 PM
Canada Economy · Job Market · Labor Participation · Unemployment Rate
Canada's job market started the year weakly, with a decrease in job participation leading to a drop in the unemployment rate to 6.5%, despite a loss of 24,800 jobs in January.
The number of open jobs in the U.S. economy fell to just over 6.5 million in December from about 7.5 million at the end of 2024, evidence of how demand for workers has sputtered in an uneven labor market.
Ahead of the government’s delayed January jobs report, a mix of other federal and private data points to a rough start to the new year.
Activity in Canada’s services industry contracted even more sharply to start the new year, extending a downturn as tariffs and broader uncertain continue to weigh heavily, data released Wednesday showed.
Revised data Wednesday showed the U.S. economy generated far fewer jobs in 2024 and 2025 than was initially estimated.