October 2025 Labour Lowdown

Between September 2024 and September 2025, overall employment in the Toronto CMA rose modestly by about 18,000 jobs, or 0.5 percent. Growth was driven mainly by consumer-facing sectors. Accommodation and Food Services showed the strongest increase, adding roughly 13,500 positions (+7 percent) as tourism, events, and restaurant demand continued to rebound. Transportation and Warehousing also expanded slightly (+2,700 jobs) thanks to renewed movement of goods, steady e-commerce activity, and a late-summer uptick in freight and logistics. Together, these industries helped offset flat or declining results elsewhere in the economy.

The sharpest declines occurred in manufacturing and in business-support activities. Manufacturing employment fell by about 12,400 positions (-3.5 percent), reflecting weaker export orders, ongoing tariff uncertainty, and slower consumer-goods production. Business, Building and Other Support Services contracted by 8,100 jobs (-6.2 percent), suggesting reduced demand for administrative, janitorial, and temporary help services. In short, the city’s job base in 2025 tilted further toward service-sector work, particularly hospitality and transport, while industrial and support sectors lost ground amid continued structural and trade-related pressures.

Job posting data from JobsTO reinforces how central the retail sector remains to Toronto’s labour market. Of 3,644 active job postings, retail and related sales occupations dominate: retail salespersons and non-technical wholesale representatives (577 postings) lead the list, followed by retail and wholesale managers (381) and cashiers or other sales support roles (338). These front-line jobs form the backbone of Toronto’s large consumer economy, reflecting steady hiring for malls, big-box outlets, and independent retailers alike. Supervisory (128 postings) and customer service roles (99) indicate movement up the skills ladder, while smaller clusters in food preparation and health-support occupations show continued crossover between retail and service work.

Skills data point to the continued value of people-oriented and organizational competencies. “Communication” was cited in 627 postings, “management” in 574, and “sales” in 515, while customer service, leadership, and organization all ranked highly, evidence that employers prize soft skills as much as experience. Notably, over 3,100 postings listed no specific experience requirements, and more than 3,300 required no stated education, suggesting broad entry-level access and high turnover. Common requirements such as criminal record checks (165), Microsoft Office familiarity (84), and food safety certification (43) reflect both trust and compliance elements in the sector. Together, these figures describe a large but shifting retail labour market—one defined by accessibility, interpersonal skills, and continual adaptation to new technologies and service models.

Toronto’s retail and service hiring remains concentrated among major national brands. Loblaw Companies Limited led all employers with 392 postings, followed by TELUS (159), The Home Depot Canada (157), Walmart Canada (136), and Shoppers Drug Mart (133). Telecommunications giants like Bell and Rogers also posted heavily, while smaller but high-profile retailers such as Summerhill Market, Longo’s, Canada Goose, and Sephora rounded out the list. Together, these firms reflect the mix of grocery, home improvement, telecommunications, and fashion employers that anchor Toronto’s diverse consumer economy.