Oris Visas Canadas job vacancies reach record high in Q3 2021

Record job vacancies coincided with growth in overall employment and falling unemployment.

Canada had an all-time high of 912,600 job vacancies in the third quarter of 2021, according to a new Statistics Canada report.


This occurred as Canada’s economy continued to recover amid the easing of public health restrictions. The record-high level of job vacancies was due to growth in overall employment and falling unemployment.

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Statistics Canada notes the 912,600 job vacancies in Q3 2021 was 62.1 per cent higher (349,700 more jobs) than in Q3 2019. Proportionally, the largest increase in job vacancies was in Saskatchewan, followed by Quebec, and Ontario.

Job vacancies increased in 18 out of 20 major industrial sectors between Q3 2019 and Q3 2021. Five sectors accounted for nearly 68 per cent of the increase: accommodation and food services, health care and social assistance, construction, retail trade, and manufacturing.

Health care and social assistance is facing significant labour force pressure. There were 118,200 vacancies in Q3 2021, and payroll employment reached pre-COVID level in December 2020 which indicates the sector is facing challenges with respect to unmet labour demand. Even prior to the pandemic, there was a growing need for workers in this sector due to Canada’s aging population. Nurse aids, orderlies, and patient service associates (24,100) and registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (22,800) were among the occupations with the most vacancies in Q3 2021.

Accommodation and food services accounted for almost 25 per cent of the increase in all job vacancies over the past two years. Statistics Canada explains the higher level of job vacancies was likely due to staffing challenges related to businesses reopening in the sector over the summer and the sector usually experiencing stronger labour demand over the summer.