Canada’s job market has seen a decline in job vacancies, creating a more competitive environment for job seekers, including immigrants.
According to Statistics Canada, there were 546,100 vacant positions at the end of the third quarter of 2024, a significant drop from the peak of 983,600 in Q2 2022.
Despite the overall decrease in job openings, certain industries are still experiencing growth, presenting opportunities for immigrants to secure employment in these sectors.
Immigration News Canada (INC), reports that the latest report from December 16th shows a decrease in both permanent and temporary job vacancies.
Permanent roles fell by 27,800, and temporary roles declined by 4,100. Full-time positions also decreased by 19,300, while part-time jobs saw a drop of 12,600.
The unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio rose to 2.6, meaning there are now 2.6 unemployed persons for every available job, compared to 2.0 in the previous quarter.
Declining vacancies in several occupations
Certain sectors are seeing fewer job openings. Among the ten major occupational groups, four experienced significant declines:
- Sales and service occupations, which fell by 12,500 vacancies (-7.4%)
- Health occupations, down by 8,200 vacancies (-9.5%)
- Trades, transport, and equipment operators, with a decrease of 6,900 vacancies (-6.6%)
- Manufacturing and utilities occupations, which dropped by 3,100 vacancies (-16.1%)
These trends indicate that immigrants should consider focusing on other growing sectors that still offer job opportunities.
Industries with high job vacancy rates
While some occupations are seeing a decline, reports tell that others are experiencing significant growth.
The following positions had the highest number of job openings at the end of the third quarter of 2024:
- Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers, and related support occupations, with 30,130 vacancies
- Registered nurses and psychiatric nurses, with 23,905 vacancies
- Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers, with 19,970 vacancies
- Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates, with 17,170 vacancies
- Transport truck drivers, with 13,170 vacancies
These positions offer opportunities for immigrants seeking work in Canada’s evolving job market, particularly in sectors such as healthcare, retail, and transportation.
Job sectors with strong yearly growth
Certain occupations have seen impressive year-on-year increases in job vacancies. These include:
- Firefighters, with a 93.4% increase in vacancies
- Instructors of persons with disabilities, up 74.6%
- Production and transportation logistics coordinators, rising by 72.6%
- Financial advisors, with a 54.7% increase
- Civil engineers, up 38.1%
These occupations indicate that there is growing demand in industries such as emergency services, logistics, finance, and engineering, making them key areas for immigrants to explore.
Decreasing job vacancies in some sectors
Some job categories have experienced large declines in vacancies compared to the previous year. These include:
- Store shelf stockers, clerks, and order fillers, down 41.3%
- Other customer and information services representatives, down 40.4%
- Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers, and related support occupations, down 36.5%
- Transport truck drivers, down 34.6%
These reductions suggest that these roles may not offer as many opportunities in the coming months.
Unemployment rate and provincial variations
- As of November 2024, Canada’s overall unemployment rate is 6.8%. However, unemployment rates vary by province.
- According to INC, Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest rate at 10.8%, followed by Prince Edward Island at 8%, Ontario at 7.6%, and Alberta at 7.5%.
- In contrast, Saskatchewan has the lowest unemployment rate at 5.6%, with British Columbia at 5.7% and Manitoba at 5.8%.
Focus on growing sectors for immigrants
Despite the overall decline in job vacancies, certain sectors continue to offer opportunities for immigrants. Healthcare, logistics, finance, and engineering are among the industries with growing job openings.
By focusing on these areas, immigrants can increase their chances of securing stable employment and contributing to Canada’s economy.
