There are more jobs available in 2019, especially in health care and social assistance
By Jennifer Hughes
Photo: iStock/dusanpetkovic.
Job vacancies are up almost 10% over last year in Canada, according to Statistics Canada’s Vacancy and Wage Survey. There were 44,000 more jobs available in the first quarter of 2019 than in the first quarter of 2018, an increase of 9.6%.
Specifically, jobs were up in six several provinces and one territory. The three largest provinces saw the largest growth: Quebec (23%), British Columbia (10.1%), and Ontario (6.9%). Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nunavut saw smaller increases, and there was little change in other provinces and territories, though Saskatchewan and Alberta experienced a decline, reflecting a decline in the resource industries—mining, quarrying, and oil and gas.
Job vacancies rose in seven of the 10 largest industrial sectors. The sectors with the biggest growth were health care and social assistance (19%), professional, scientific, and technical services (28%), and manufacturing (15.2% and 6,300 vacancies).
The survey’s numbers “continue the upward trend in job vacancies we’ve seen over recent years,” a labour market economist for Indeed Canada told CBC.
Though the increase in job vacancies is good news for Canadians seeking employment, there are some businesses for whom the numbers aren’t good news. Small businesses are hit the hardest, as labour shortages jeopardize their ability to provide to customers.
