Quebec drags down staffing revenue as Ontario grows

Operating revenues in Canada’s employment services industry fell 1.3% to $23.9bn in 2025, Statistics Canada said, the second straight period of decline. Quebec drove the fall: its revenues dropped $538.0m, or 12.8%, from 2024. Ontario, home to 55.8% of industry revenue, the largest share of any province, grew 1.7%.

Employment in the Toronto area was 3,786.6 thousand in September, up 1.8% on a year earlier. Yet unemployment rose to 7.2% from 6.7% in August, though it was 1.4 percentage points below a year earlier. The industry’s operating profit margin narrowed to 3.8% from 4.3% in 2024, because expenses fell more slowly than revenues.

The industry group covers placement agencies, executive search, temporary help services and professional employer organizations. Statistics Canada said the decline reflected softer labour market conditions: lower job vacancy rates, meaning fewer open posts, and slower population growth through 2024 and 2025.

Whether revenue recovered in 2026 is not yet known.

Sources: Statistics Canada