April tends to mark a lag between labour force and employment, as many post-secondary students become available for summer work slightly in advance of tourism businesses hiring their full complement of summer staff. Historically, the seasonal surge in employment starts to be reflected in the Labour Force Survey (LFS) in May, so next month will be a more reliable indicator of the workforce situation than April’s data.

The tourism sector^[1] in March 2026 saw declines in both labour force and employment from the previous month^[2]. Both indices were, however, up on last year, and also on 2019 as a pre-pandemic baseline, indicating that the sector is continuing to grow.

The tourism sector^[1] in February 2026 saw slight gains over the previous month^[2], with labour force growth outpacing employment, pulling the unemployment rate up slightly.

The tourism sector[1] in January 2026 contracted slightly from December[2], with both labour force (-0.5%) and employment (-1.6%) seeing decreases. However, these losses were broadly in line with patterns seen across the broader economy, where labour force fell by 0.8% and employment by 1.2%.

While December often marks a time of travel for many Canadians, the pre-holiday period—which the December Labour Force Survey targeted—remains a bit of a lull, with many businesses not yet ramping up their winter operations.

November is often a slow period in tourism, with the weather turning colder but not cold enough or snowy enough to support winter activities.

The tourism sector^[1] in October 2025 saw little change over the previous month in terms of labour force or employment^[2]. Both indices grew by less than one percent, on par with changes seen across the broader economy.

September always sees a contraction of the tourism workforce: with the summer surge in demand definitively over and many students leaving the workforce to return to their studies, both labour force and employment dip.

August is typically a busy month for tourism: it’s the end of summer, and many families take the opportunity for one last break before school and work return to normal in September. This year, of course, the season has been overshadowed by tariffs, economic pressures, and global uncertainties, the effects of which have been building for months and are starting to be felt across the sector. What does the latest data tell us about the impacts on the labour market?

This analysis summarizes some of the recent changes in immigration policy and draws attention to programs and pathways other than the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

The tourism sector in July 2025 grew by around 3% from where it stood last month, and was generally in a stronger position than last year. Given the strong economic headwinds facing the economy, and the decrease in visitors from the United States, domestic interest in travel seems to be enough to sustain the demand side of the equation, at least for the time being.

In spite of economic headwinds in the face of trade uncertainty, domestic tourism demand stayed strong into June, allowing the tourism labour market to maintain its momentum from May. Both labour force and employment in the tourism sector^[1] grew from May, while unemployment fell slightly^[2].