The labour market added an unexpected 60,000 jobs in September, led by gains in the tariff-struck manufacturing sector.

Statistics Canada said the unemployment rate held steady at 7.1 per cent last month.

Economists had called for a gain of just 5,000 jobs in September, coming off losses of more than 100,000 positions over the previous two months.

StatCan said gains were concentrated in full-time work with 106,000 positions added in September, more than offsetting a drop in part-time work.

BMO chief economist Doug Porter said in a note to clients Friday that the September surprise is a good reminder to focus more on the longer-term trends in StatCan’s typically volatile labour force survey.

He said the “big picture” shows employment in Canada is only slightly higher in 2025 — StatCan

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