Perceived job security among Canadian employees remained steady in April, with only 7.7% agreeing or strongly agreeing they might lose their job in the next six months, according to data released Aug. 18 by Statistics Canada.
Statistics Canada defines the perceived job security indicator as the number of employees aged 15 to 69 who agree or strongly agree with the statement “I might lose my job in the next six months,” expressed as a percentage of all employees in that age group.
Temporary and part-time workers reported higher job insecurity. In April, 22.8% of temporary employees and 10.9% of part-time staff felt at risk of losing their jobs in the next six months, compared with 5.8% of permanent workers and 7.0% of full-time employees.
Among temporary workers, job insecurity was highest in temporary or contract jobs at 26.0%, followed by seasonal roles at 24.8% and casual work at 14.3%.
The agency noted that since data on perceived job security can be affected by seasonal variations, the data focuses on characteristics associated with higher perceived insecurity in both November 2023 and April 2025.
By industry, job insecurity in April was highest in business, building and other support services at 11.7% and in information, culture and recreation at 11.4%. Conversely, it was lowest in finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing at 5.0% and in healthcare and social assistance at 5.2%.
Meanwhile, employees in industries dependent on US demand for Canadian exports reported higher job insecurity, with 8.9% feeling they might lose their jobs in the next six months.
Perception also varied across population groups. In April, 13.8% of West Asian employees and 12.8% of Arab employees felt they might lose their jobs in the next six months, compared to 6.9% of their non-BIPOC and non-Indigenous counterparts.
The study found that both West Asian and Arab employees were more likely to have a temporary job compared with non-BIPOC and non-Indigenous employees.
Recent immigrants admitted within the past five years also felt less secure about their jobs at 11.2% compared to 6.7% of Canada-born employees.
Across generations, young workers reported the highest job insecurity, with 9.6% of those aged 15 to 24 and 7.3% of those aged 25 to 54 believing they might lose their jobs over the next six months.
Additionally, 7.7% of employees aged 55 to 69 cited that they might lose their jobs in the next six months.
While overall job insecurity has remained steady compared with November 2023, Statistics Canada reported uncertainty is rising due to disruptions in the Canada-US trade relationship. In April, 18.4% of employees neither agreed nor disagreed that they might lose their job in the next six months, up from 14.2% in November 2023.