In June 2025, Sault Ste. Marie’s labour market showed mixed performance when compared to both the previous month (May 2025) and the same time last year (June 2024). The population aged 15 and over held steady at 74,400 in both May 2025 and June 2025, up by 1,100 compared to June 2024. The labour force increased slightly from 43,500 in May 2025 to 44,600 in June, marking a year-over-year rise of 1,300. Employment rose from 39,900 in May 2025 to 40,900 in June, but this was only a modest increase of 400 compared to June 2024.
Full-time employment saw a monthly increase from 32,500 to 33,400, up 100 from last year. Part-time employment remained stable month over month (7,400 to 7,500) and showed a modest increase of 300 year over year. Unemployment held steady at 3,700 between May and June, but was significantly higher than the 2,800 recorded in June 2024.
The unemployment rate decreased slightly from 8.5% in May 2025 to 8.3% in June 2025 but remained well above the 6.5% recorded in June 2024. The participation rate improved from 58.5% in May to 59.9% in June, and was slightly higher than the 59.1% recorded the previous year. However, the employment rate rose from 53.6% in May to 55.0% in June, though this remains just below the 55.3% recorded in June 2024.
Overall, while labour force engagement has increased in recent months, higher unemployment and a slight drop in the employment rate compared to last year indicate ongoing challenges in job matching and absorption.
In June 2025, total employment across all industries in Sault Ste. Marie remained steady at 39,900—unchanged from May 2025, but down by 600 jobs compared to June 2024. The goods-producing sector saw an annual increase of 1,100 jobs, rising from 8,500 in June 2024 to 9,600 in June 2025, with notable gains in construction, which added 1,600 jobs year-over-year (from 2,900 to 4,5K). However, manufacturing employment declined by 600 over the same period (from 4,700 to 4,100), with a further monthly drop from 4,400 in May to 4,100 in June 2025.
In contrast, the services-producing sector experienced a decline, shedding 700 jobs year-over-year (from 32,000 to 31,300). Within this sector, wholesale and retail trade showed significant strength, increasing by 2,200 jobs annually (from 4,600 to 6,800). Other gains were seen in business, building, and other support services (+400 jobs), transportation and warehousing, and public administration (+200 jobs). However, notable losses occurred in educational services, which dropped sharply by 2,800 jobs (from 6,200 to 3,400), and professional, scientific and technical services, down 1,000 jobs year-over-year.
Overall, while the goods-producing sector experienced growth—driven largely by gains in construction—the services-producing sector saw declines, particularly in educational and professional services. The drop in educational services employment is likely linked to typical summer employment trends. These sector-specific losses contributed to a net employment decrease of 600 jobs compared to the previous year, highlighting underlying weaknesses within an otherwise relatively stable labour market.
Data Source: Labour force estimates by age, Sault Ste. Marie (Census Agglomeration), 3-month moving average, unadjusted for seasonality, 2024-2025.
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