Ottawa Employment Trends
The unemployment rate in Ottawa was 7.4% as of December 2025, up 0.1% from the previous month. The unemployment rate stood 2.7% below the peak from July 2020 but remains above the long-run average.
There were 5,800 more full-time jobs in December 2025 compared to a month earlier. Combined with a gain of 600 part-time positions, this led to an increase of 6,400 total jobs in December.
Full-time employment was down 37,800 jobs from the peak in May 2025 but stood 5,800 jobs above the trough in November 2025.
* All figures are seasonally adjusted, 3-month moving averages. Seasonal adjustment removes normal seasonal fluctuations.
