Trucking and Logistics Sector Sheds 25,000 Jobs in Q1 2025 – But Truck Drivers Remain Untouched

Source: Trucking HR Canada

Ottawa, May 21, 2025 — In a surprising labour market shift, Canada’s trucking and logistics industry saw 25,000 job losses in the first quarter of 2025 compared to Q1 2024 — but none of those lost jobs were truck drivers.

The new data from Trucking HR Canada highlights the sector’s changing employment landscape at a time when Canada’s overall job market grew by 1.9%.

The hardest-hit occupations include:

• Management, administration, finance, and HR roles (down 17% or 16,400 jobs)

• Shippers and receivers (down 6,900 jobs or 6.7%)

• Courier and delivery drivers (down 3,600 jobs or 3%)

Meanwhile, the number of transport truck drivers actually increased by 1.5%, adding 4,800 new workers to the road. Despite a slight rise in unemployed truck drivers (+1.6% or 5,500 people), the overall unemployment rate in the sector remained stable.

Interestingly, the combination of lower employment and lower unemployment signals a shrinking labour pool — likely due to workers leaving the industry or exiting the workforce entirely.

As Canada’s only national non-profit HR council dedicated to trucking, Trucking HR Canada continues to monitor these changes to inform policy and workforce solutions.

“Job losses of this magnitude aren’t new — 26,800 jobs were lost in Q1 2021 and 68,200 in Q1 2023 — but this is the first time truck drivers were not among those affected,” the report notes.