Employment by status in Canada
Canada: Employment by status was 87.0% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Employment by status in Canada, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment by status in Canada is 87.0%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by status in Canada peaked at 87.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 82.8%, in 1998.
Canada ranks 31st of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 84.0% | 82.8% | 85.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 84.5% | 83.9% | 84.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 84.9% | 84.5% | 85.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 86.2% | 84.8% | 87.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More work & labour data for Canada
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 64.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 68.9% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 87.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 60.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 80.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 83.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 76.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment by status in Canada?
- Employment by status in Canada was 87.0% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment by status recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 87.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 82.8% in 1998.
- How does Canada rank for employment by status?
- Canada ranks 31st out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment by status rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment by status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.