Everyday we come across skilled jobseekers struggling to find work — and many have been out of work for months. But what is this unemployment in numbers? Today, let's dig in the real data from the national statistical office Statistics Canada Behind Canada’s steady national unemployment rate lies a deeper story: a rising share of long-term unemployed, and persistent racial and youth employment gaps. This isn’t just an economic slowdown — it’s a signal of structural cracks in the labour market. 1. The Big Picture: Unemployment Is Rising Again As of March 2025, about 1.5 million Canadians were unemployed, a 12.4 % increase (+167,000) from the previous year. [1] Among them, 23.7 % had been out of work for 27 weeks or longer, up from 18.3 % a year earlier. [1] Even more concerning — 41.5 % of unemployed Canadians had not worked in the previous 12 months, compared to 35.4 % a year before. [1] These figures show a clear rise in long-term unemployment, signalling that many are struggling ...