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November 06, 2026LABOUR FORCE SURVEY, OCTOBER 2026 
MONTH OVER MONTH (October 2026 vs September 2026, seasonally adjusted)
In Nova Scotia,
- The labour force increased 1,800 (+0.3%) to 578,900
- Employment increased 2,300 (+0.4%) to 543,000
- The number of unemployed persons decreased 500 (-1.4%) to 35,900
- The unemployment rate decreased 0.1 percentage points to 6.2%
In Canada,
- The labour force increased 28,000 (+0.1%) to 22,607,700
- Employment edged down 4,700 (-0.02%) to 21,100,100
- The number of unemployed persons increased 32,800 (+2.2%) to 1,507,700
- The unemployment rate increased 0.2 percentage points to 6.7%
In the Halifax and East Hants Census Metropolitan Area, (3-month moving average)
- The labour force increased 3,000 (+0.9%) to 320,600
- Employment increased 3,900 (+1.3%) to 303,200
- The number of unemployed persons decreased 900 (-4.9%) to 17,400
- The unemployment rate decreased 0.4 percentage points to 5.4%
YEAR OVER YEAR (October 2026 vs October 2025)
In Nova Scotia,
- The labour force increased 19,800 (+3.5%)
- Employment increased 21,600 (+4.1%)
- The number of unemployed persons decreased 1,800 (-4.8%)
- The unemployment rate decreased 0.5 percentage points
In Canada,
- The labour force decreased 26,600 (-0.1%)
- Employment increased 16,500 (+0.1%)
- The number of unemployed persons decreased 43,000 (-2.8%)
- The unemployment rate decreased 0.2 percentage points
In the Halifax and East Hants Census Metropolitan Area, (3-month moving average)
- The labour force increased 9,500 (+3.1%)
- Employment increased 10,000 (+3.4%)
- The number of unemployed persons decreased 500 (-2.8%)
- The unemployment rate decreased 0.4 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