'The decrease in active job seeking may lead to increasing hiring challenges'
Canadian employers are facing a serious retention challenge this year, even though the number of workers looking to jump ship has dropped, according to a survey.
Overall, 38% of professionals have either started or are planning to start searching for a new job in the first half of this year — down from half in July 2024.
This comes as 72% say they are confident they could find a new job if they needed to or were interested.
"While many professionals right now are still interested in pursuing new roles, the decrease in active job seeking may lead to increasing hiring challenges for the nearly half of businesses planning to expand their workforce in 2025," warns Koula Vasilopoulos, senior managing director at Robert Half, Canada, which did the survey.
"Employers will need to focus on strategies that help them find the right talent, promote a smooth hiring process, and attract skilled workers to new roles."
The top reasons workers cited for wanting a new position are the following, according to Robert Half’s survey of 1,500 professionals across Canada, conducted in December 2024:
Meanwhile, the following can deter workers from applying to open positions:
The unemployment rate in Canada fell slightly to 6.7% in December 2024, down 0.1 percentage points from November. However, on a year-over-year basis, the unemployment rate rose by 0.9 percentage points, according to Statistics Canada.
More than nine in 10 (94%) Canadian workers are confident in their skills and abilities, and 73% of them say they have learned new skills in the past 12 months, found the Robert Half survey.
However, professionals claim that the biggest obstacles they face when job hunting are:
Roles across engineering, healthcare, education, and sales that offer high salaries, job growth, and flexibility are among the best jobs for 2025 in Canada, according to a previous Indeed report.
According to the Robert Half report, the following can influence workers’ intention to stay with their current employer:
Applicant tracking and CRM software provider RecruitmentFlow notes that creativity can be key in employers’ hiring campaigns this year.
“A next-level recruitment campaign goes beyond just attracting candidates—it builds relationships, earns trust, and grows your agency’s brand. So, whether you’re fine-tuning your current approach or starting from scratch, remember: it’s time to think like modern marketers and embrace creativity in your recruiting campaigns.”
The company cites this IKEA video detailing its intentions to hire more workers: “IKEA is known for injuncting creativity into their campaigns and this one is no different. It goes beyond the traditional JD and uses creative messaging and storytelling with engaging visuals. The results speak for themselves and it’s a great idea to draw inspiration from, for your next recruitment campaign.”
More than 7 in 10 (71%) Canadian employers have a positive hiring outlook this year, according to a report from Express Employment Professionals.
