According to November data, the number of job openings was 9.3 percent lower than in October, although still much greater than before the pandemic began. Despite a drop from the all-time high reached in September, the number of unfilled vacancies remained 72 percent higher than in the fourth quarter of 2019.
According to Statistics Canada, the job vacancy rate, which measures job vacancies as a share of all vacant and filled positions, was 5.1 percent in November, up 2.1 percentage points from before the epidemic.
In November, the transportation and warehousing industry had an all-time high of 51,500 vacancies. The vacancy rate in this industry was 6.2 percent in November, the highest monthly rate recorded since data collection began in October 2020.
Other important economic sectors impacted by rising employment openings include lodging and food services, healthcare, and construction.
The number of vacancies in the lodging and food services sector fell by 11.7 percent in November, to 130,100. Despite this decline, the industry had a 9.9 percent vacancy rate in November, outperforming all other sectors for the sixth month in a row.
The number of vacancies in the health care sector was 119,600, with a vacancy rate of 5.2 percent.
In November, there were 67,800 vacancies in the construction industry, with a 5.6 percent vacancy rate.
In November, the number of job vacancies declined in six provinces, with the highest decreases in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Quebec. In contrast, Manitoba set a new high with 27,300 job openings, despite the fact that the province’s vacancy rate of 4.5 percent remained lower than the national average of 5.1 percent.
According to Statistics Canada’s payroll survey statistics, 37,200 positions were filled in November, up 0.4 percent from pre-pandemic levels and the sixth consecutive monthly rise.
In November, employment increased mostly in the service sector, which includes lodging and food services, public administration, and professional, scientific, and technical services. According to Statistics Canada, the increase in employment was due to several firms relaxing capacity limitations and distance rules during the last week of October and the beginning of November.
Construction has done particularly well in Canada, with all construction industry recovering to or exceeding pre-pandemic employment levels.
In November, average weekly hours and salaries were stable. The average hourly wage earner worked approximately 31 hours per week, and salaried employees worked 37.
In November, weekly earnings averaged $1,131, a relatively small change from the previous month.
Overall, November in Canada exhibited hopeful indicators of employment and economic improvement. The implications of the latest Omicron wave, which began in late November and appears to be fading, are uncertain, but they may have an impact on Canada’s economic advancement in the early months of 2022.
