Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate in Canada
Canada: Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate was 2.5 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate in Canada, 1997–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate in Canada stood at 2.5.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.2% on the previous year and down 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate in Canada peaked at 4.1 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.2, in 2019.
That places Canada 58th out of 70 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 3.4 | — |
| 1998 | 2.9 | -14.7% |
| 1999 | 2.7 | -6.9% |
| 2000 | 2.7 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 2.7 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 3.1 | +14.8% |
| 2003 | 2.8 | -9.7% |
| 2004 | 2.7 | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 2.9 | +7.4% |
| 2006 | 2.8 | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 2.7 | -3.6% |
| 2008 | 2.7 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 3.2 | +18.5% |
| 2010 | 3.2 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 3.2 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 3.1 | -3.1% |
| 2013 | 3 | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 2.9 | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 2.7 | -6.9% |
| 2016 | 2.6 | -3.7% |
| 2017 | 2.4 | -7.7% |
| 2018 | 2.3 | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 2.2 | -4.3% |
| 2020 | 4.1 | +86.4% |
| 2021 | 2.8 | -31.7% |
| 2022 | 2.3 | -17.9% |
| 2023 | 2.3 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 2.4 | +4.3% |
| 2025 | 2.5 | +4.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 3 |
| 2000s | 2.83 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.76 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.73 | 2.3 | 4.1 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More work & labour data for Canada
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.3281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.3334 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.3231 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.29 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.6552 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 39,234 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,715 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 26,798 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 26,814 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 53,612 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate in Canada?
- Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate in Canada was 2.5 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 4.1 in 2020.
- What is the lowest potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2 in 2019.
- How does Canada rank for potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate?
- Canada ranks 58th out of 70 countries with data for 2025.
- Is potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. The potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers includes those who have been recently searching for a job but are not available to work within a short reference period, those who have not searched recently for a job, but they are available to work within a short reference period, and finally those who do not fall in neither of the previous categories but that wanted employment. The rate refers to this group divided by the sum of the extended labour force and willing non-jobseekers. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.