News Update 12 July 2018: 462,000 Job Vacancies Across Canada in the First Quarter of 2018

Increase in Jobs in Canada: Quebec Tops the List

The new data from Statistics Canada shows that job vacancies have increased across most provinces, industrial sectors and occupational groups in Canada, as compared to the first quarter of 2017. 

462,000 job vacancies have been created across Canada in the first quarter of 2018, with Quebec province leading the list YOY followed by British Columbia. Jobs in Quebec have increased by 37% in Q1 2018 as compared to Q1 2017, which means there is in an increase of approx. 25,000 jobs.

Sixth Consecutive Quarter with a Year-over-Year Increase in the Number of Job Vacancies

Statistics Canada says this was the seventh consecutive quarter to show a year-over-year increase in the number of job vacancies in Quebec, with vacancies in the manufacturing and accommodation and food services industrial sectors increasing the most. Montreal was the economic region in Quebec that posted the greatest increase in job vacancies (+8,700) during the quarter.

Quebec and British Columbia Have the Largest Increase in Job Vacancies

Quebec’s Liberal government has estimated that more than one million jobs will need to be filled by 2024, and says immigration has a major part to play in filling this gap.

Job vacancies also increased in B.C, Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba. B.C. shows 36% increase over 2017. Statistics Canada says job vacancies in B.C. increased in 19 of 20 industrial sectors in the province, with vacancies concentrated in the province’s Lower Mainland-Southwest economic region, which includes Vancouver. Sales and service occupations, trades and equipment operators posted the largest increase in vacancies over the first quarter of 2017.

Likewise, Job vacancies in Ontario increased by 9,800 in the first quarter of 2018. More than 40% (4,200) of those vacancies were in the transportation and warehousing industrial sector and another 2,400 were in the health care and social assistance sector.

Job Vacancies Increase in 9 of the 10 Largest Industrial Sector

Healthcare and social assistance sector saw job vacancies increase by 11,000 over the first quarter of 2017, an increase of 27.3% over 2017.

Job Vacancies are up in 9 of the 10 Broad Occupational Category

Broad occupation categories, Statistics Canada reported an increase of 9,030 job vacancies in the Business, Finance and Administration category and 8,080 job vacancies in the Natural and Applied Sciences category in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the previous year.