# Trump's Canada unemployment claim doesn't match the data

> President Trump says Canada has big unemployment problems. The numbers tell a different story.
- Title: Trump's Canada unemployment claim doesn't match the data
- Summary: President Trump says Canada has big unemployment problems. The numbers tell a different story. Trump claims Canada's unemployment is rising due to…
- Keywords: donald trump, canada, unemployment, mark carney, trade war, immigration policy, Trump's, claim, doesn't, match, data, TIME
- Source: TIME — https://time.com/article/2026/09/28/canada-unemployment-rate-trump-claims-data-us-trade-war
- Author: Tiago Ventura
- Published: 2026-09-28T18:48:28+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: donald trump, canada, unemployment, mark carney, trade war, immigration policy
## Trump blames Canada's immigration
President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed Canada has big unemployment problems caused by Prime Minister Mark Carney's immigration policies. Trump made these claims in August and again on September twenty-third.

> Big unemployment.
## Trump's August claim was false
In August, Trump stated Canada's unemployment rate was ten percent and rapidly rising. He claimed Canadian businesses were fleeing to the U.S. due to failed policies and inept leadership. This claim was false.

> Canada's unemployment rate is now at 10%, and rapidly rising.
## Trade tensions escalate between nations
Trump's focus on Canada's unemployment comes amid a prolonged trade standoff. Canada's retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods took effect earlier this month. U.S. import bans on Canadian alcohol and dairy are due to take effect Tuesday.
## Canada lost jobs in August
Canada's economy lost forty-two thousand jobs in August, a decrease of zero point two percent, according to the country's Labor Force Survey released on September fourth. The losses were concentrated in business, building, natural resources, and utilities.
## But unemployment stayed steady
Despite the job losses, Canada's unemployment rate in August remained steady at six point four percent. This followed three consecutive monthly declines from May through July. The rate is lower than August twenty twenty-five, when it was seven point one percent.
## Economist says no unemployment problem
Joseph Steinberg, a professor of economics at the University of Toronto, says Canada does not currently have an unemployment problem. The labor market is doing just fine and the unemployment rate is relatively stable, he says.

> Canada "does not currently have an unemployment problem."
## Canada's immigration rate is actually low
Steinberg notes that Trump is ranting about immigration as a big problem, but Canada's immigration rate is actually quite low. Canada revised its immigration policy in late twenty twenty-four. Permanent residents admitted in twenty twenty-five were around three hundred twenty-eight thousand, compared to four hundred nineteen thousand the year before.

> Trump is [also] ranting about immigration as a big problem, but right now Canada's immigration rate is actually quite low.
## U.S. and Canada measure unemployment differently
The U.S. unemployment rate in August remained unchanged at four point one percent. But experts warn that the U.S. and Canada calculate unemployment differently. Canada includes people as young as fifteen, while the U.S. begins counting at sixteen.
## Trade uncertainty threatens job creation
Formal trade negotiations between the U.S. and Canada halted at the end of August. For businesses in tariff-exposed industries, prolonged uncertainty can weigh on investment and job creation. Experts say businesses need certainty and predictability about their customer base and sales.
## Key takeaway

Trump claims Canada's unemployment is rising due to immigration policy, but data shows Canada's jobless rate is stable at six point four percent and lower than a year ago.