Health care and social assistance sector needs over 127,000 workers; accommodation and food services has nearly 83,000 unfilled posts
Overall job vacancies in Canada edged up to 653,000 in November 2023, according to a recent report from Statistics Canada (StatCan).
That number was up from 638,900 in October and 638,200 in September 2023.
But it was lower than the 691,400 total job openings in August that year.
“There were 1.9 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in November, holding steady from September and October,” said StatCan. “The unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio in November was up from 1.2 in January 2023, driven by fewer job vacancies (-211,100; -24.4%) and an increase in the number of unemployed persons (+194,400; +18.6%).”
The Job Vacancy and Wage Survey (JVWS) from Statistics Canada previously revealed that job vacancies fell by 69,900 (-9%) to 706,000 in the third quarter of 2023.
Also, the job vacancy rate in Canada in November 2023 was 3.7%, up a little bit from 3.6% in the previous two months. The rate was 3.9% in August 2023.
More than half (54%) of Canadian employers plan to hire new workers in the first half of 2024, according to a previous report from Robert Half. But the International Labour Organization (ILO) warned that the global unemployment rate could go up in 2024 after falling to pre-pandemic levels in 2023.
How many vacancies are there in different sectors in Canada?
The following sectors have the biggest job vacancies in Canada in November 2023, according to StatCan:
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- Health care and social assistance (127,100)
- Accommodation and food services (82,800)
- Retail trade (69,000)
- Construction (58,600)
- Manufacturing (41,800)
- Transportation and warehousing (36,900)
- Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services (35,800)
Even post-COVID-19 pandemic, 92% of nurses said their workload increased over the last few years, according to a previous report from the Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario (WeRPN).
Among provinces, the job vacancies are as follows, according to StatCan:
- Ontario (237,100)
- Quebec (149,500)
- British Columbia (105,700)
- Alberta (81,600)
- Manitoba (23,400)
- Saskatchewan (20,100)
- Nova Scotia (13,100)
- New Brunswick (11,700)
- Newfoundland and Labrador (6,100)
- Prince Edward Island (1,800)
- Yukon (1,000)
Ontario, Alberta and others provinces have previously announced projects to entice more workers to come to their jurisdiction.
Numerous employers have opened 2024 with job cuts, and more than a quarter of global employees are likely to leave within a year, according to a previous report from the Boston Consulting Group.