Pan-Canadian Forum A Future Built on Skills

  • Français
Future Skills Center logo
Français
Polygon Created with Sketch. Home | Research
Research

Unemployment in Canada: A report from the Survey on Employment and Skills

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted employment in many ways and reshaped patterns of work. This report works to better understand the conditions that impact unemployment and that keep individuals from finding a job that fits. It focuses on unemployment examining those who are unemployed and looking for work and those who are unemployed and not looking for work. This distinction highlights concerns around widespread discouragement as the root cause of disengagement with the workforce.

Understanding the dynamics that lead to long-term unemployment are critical to inform strategies to develop skills and create opportunities for all. Specifically, the purpose of this analysis was to further investigate the following research questions: Which demographic groups are more likely to experience long-term unemployment? How do those who are unemployed and looking for work differ from those that are unemployed and not looking for work? Do we see demographic differences based on variables such as educational attainment, physical health or disability status?What are the reasons why some unemployed individuals are not looking for work?

Download Report Button

Key Insights

Individuals with longer durations of unemployment (over 15 months) are more likely to be over the age of 35, more likely to say that their physical and mental health are fair or poor, more likely to have a disability and less likely to have a postsecondary education.

Extended unemployment significantly impacts lifelong earnings potential. As individuals spend more time out of work, they miss out on career advancements and salary increases, which cumulatively affect their financial stability and long-term economic security

The most common type of reason for not looking for work is related to health. According to the survey results, 63% of the respondents report that they are not looking for a job due to physical or mental health issues.

More from FSC

Two women having a conversation while working on laptops
Project

Female Workers Facing the Challenge of Digital Transformation: A Case Study in the Insurance Sector

  • October 2025
  • Laval University
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital transformation, leading to numerous changes in social interactions at work. To address this, the project focuses on how female workers in customer service roles who typically hold secondary or college-level education and work remotely for insurance companies in the Chaudière-Appalaches region of Québec are adapting to these changes.
1 Related Reports
Carpenter at workshop
State of Skills

Resilient by Design: The Skills Canadians Need Now and for the Future

  • October 2025
To build a resilient workforce that is able to respond to and adapt to changing labour markets, whether due to unpredictable disruptions or longer-term transitions, we need a range of training and upskilling pathways that equip people with the skills they need to enter, advance, transition and return to dynamic labour markets.
1 Related Reports
A group of students sitting outside on university campus.
Project

Building Capacity and Skills to Survive Shock for Current and Future Not-for-Profit Managers: A New Approach

  • October 2025
  • McMaster University
This project aimed to develop and test a new skills training model that bridged the academic and not-for-profit sectors. The experiential learning course called “Innovation for Social Impact” was developed and launched to achieve this goal.
1 Related Reports
View all Research