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March 13, 2026LABOUR FORCE SURVEY, FEBRUARY 2026 
MONTH OVER MONTH (February 2026 vs January 2026, seasonally adjusted)
In Nova Scotia,
- The labour force increased 400 (+0.1%) to 563,900
- Employment decreased 600 (-0.1%) to 524,100
- The number of unemployed persons increased 1,000 (+2.6%) to 39,800
- The unemployment rate increased 0.2 percentage points to 7.1%
In Canada,
- The labour force decreased 27,200 (-0.1%) to 22,551,500
- Employment decreased 83,900 (-0.4%) to 21,037,300
- The number of unemployed persons increased 56,700 (+3.9%) to 1,514,200
- The unemployment rate increased 0.2 percentage points to 6.7%
In Halifax and East Hants Census Metropolitan Area, (3-month moving average)
- The labour force increased 2,000 (+0.6%) to 314,600
- Employment increased 900 (+0.3%) to 295,500
- The number of unemployed persons increased 1,100 (+6.1%) to 19,100
- The unemployment rate increased 0.3 percentage points to 6.1%
YEAR OVER YEAR (February 2026 vs February 2025)
In Nova Scotia,
- The labour force increased 4,400 (+0.8%)
- Employment increased 2,000 (+0.4%)
- The number of unemployed persons increased 2,400 (+6.4%)
- The unemployment rate increased 0.4 percentage points
In Canada,
- The labour force increased 82,200 (+0.4%)
- Employment increased 51,800 (+0.2%)
- The number of unemployed persons increased 30,400 (+2.0%)
- The unemployment rate increased 0.1 percentage points
In Halifax and East Hants Census Metropolitan Area, (3-month moving average)
- The labour force increased 6,800 (+2.2%)
- Employment increased 3,700 (+1.3%)
- The number of unemployed persons increased 3,100 (+19.4%)
- The unemployment rate increased 0.9 percentage points
Source: Statistics Canada. Table 14-10-0287-01 Labour force characteristics, monthly, seasonally adjusted and trend-cycle, last 5 months; Table 14-10-0459-01 Labour force characteristics, three-month moving average, seasonally adjusted