The Oshawa-area unemployment rate remained at 8.5 per cent in June, placing the region in a tie for the highest rate among Ontario census metropolitan areas.
The Oshawa unemployment rate was tied with Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo and ranked behind only Kelowna, British Columbia, among Canadian metropolitan areas included in the latest Statistics Canada labour-force figures. Kelowna recorded a rate of 9.2 per cent.
Despite being commonly described as the Oshawa rate, the figure does not apply exclusively to residents within the City of Oshawa.
Oshawa Unemployment Rate Covers Three Municipalities
Statistics Canada’s Oshawa census metropolitan area includes the municipalities of Oshawa, Whitby and Clarington.
That means the 8.5 per cent unemployment rate represents labour-market conditions across all three communities rather than providing a separate result for Oshawa city. Pickering and Ajax are not part of the Oshawa CMA for this dataset.
The rate was unchanged from May, when the Oshawa CMA also recorded unemployment of 8.5 per cent.
In May, however, several other Ontario metropolitan areas reported slightly higher rates. By June, unemployment had declined to 8.2 per cent in both London and Barrie, moving Oshawa and Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo into the joint-highest position in Ontario.
Oshawa Rate Above Ontario and Canada
Ontario’s overall unemployment rate was 7.0 per cent in June, unchanged from May.
Canada’s national unemployment rate declined by 0.1 percentage points to 6.5 per cent. National employment was little changed, increasing by approximately 18,000 positions, while the employment rate rose slightly to 60.8 per cent.
The Oshawa CMA rate was therefore 1.5 percentage points above Ontario’s rate and two percentage points above the national figure.
Other Ontario metropolitan rates reported for June included Windsor at 8.0 per cent, Guelph at 7.5 per cent, Toronto at 7.2 per cent, and Ottawa–Gatineau and Hamilton at 6.9 per cent.
Figures Are Three-Month Moving Averages
Statistics Canada reports metropolitan labour-force numbers as seasonally adjusted three-month moving averages.
The June figure therefore combines survey information covering a broader period rather than representing only people working or searching for employment during the month of June.
Using a moving average helps reduce some month-to-month volatility. However, metropolitan results remain survey estimates and can still fluctuate, particularly when changes are relatively small. The published table includes standard-error information to help readers interpret the estimates.
The unemployment rate measures the percentage of people in the labour force who are without work, available for work and actively looking for employment, on temporary layoff or expecting to begin a job shortly. It does not represent the percentage of the entire population without a job.
Manufacturing Employment Declined Nationally
Statistics Canada reported that manufacturing employment across Canada fell by approximately 17,000 positions in June.
Manufacturing employment was down by about 61,000 from its recent January 2025 peak, during a period Statistics Canada described as involving tariff-related uncertainty. The national report did not attribute the Oshawa CMA’s unemployment rate to one company or local industry.
The latest Oshawa unemployment rate provides an important regional economic indicator, but it should be identified as an Oshawa CMA figure covering Oshawa, Whitby and Clarington.
Statistics Canada’s next Labour Force Survey will show whether the local rate begins to decline, remains steady or moves higher.
