So long, labour shortage: job vacancies continue to decline in Canada
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People attend a job and continuing education fair in Montreal. Photo by Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press filesArticle contentCanada’s job market continued to shrink in the third quarter of 2025, with total vacancies dropping to 492,500, a 2.8 per cent decline from the previous quarter, according to Statistics Canada’s latest report.Sign In or Create an AccountEmail AddressContinueor View more offersArticle contentThe decrease marked the third consecutive quarterly fall in openings this year, and the 13th since job vacancies peaked at 985,900 in mid-2022 — a downward trend in which the market has moved from labour shortage to job shortage.Article contentWe apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Play VideoArticle contentArticle contentData from the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey indicates jobs are becoming scarcer. Vacancies for full-time roles decreased by approximately 11,200 (a three-per-cent drop) in the third quarter, while part-time positions remained mostly unchanged. Permanent job openings also dipped 3.1 per cent, while temporary vacancies showed little movement.Article contentWorkFP Work touches on HR strategy, labour economics, office culture, technology and more.There was an error, please provide a valid email address.Sign UpBy signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.Thanks for signing up!A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Work will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againInterested in more newsletters? Browse here.Article contentOn a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were down significantly, with full-time positions down 5,800 (12.3 per cent) and part-time roles down 5,100 (3.8 per cent). Both permanent and temporary roles recorded year-over-year declines.Article contentDespite the overall drop in available positions, the job vacancy rate — a measure of vacant positions as a share of total labour demand — held steady at 2.8 per cent. This suggests that while fewer jobs were open, the ratio of vacancies relative to the number of employed and unemployed persons remained roughly stable over the quarter.Article contentThe data also suggest that long-term vacancies (defined as jobs open for more than 90 days) continued to decline as a proportion of total vacancies.Article contentLong-term openings accounted for 27.1 per cent of all vacancies in the third quarter, down from 31.6 per cent in the same period last year — a sign that employers may be finding it easier to fill roles thanks to a greater supply of available labour.Article contentVacancy declines were seen across a range of occupations. The largest drops were in healthcare, trades, transportation and business and administrative jobs. Sectors such as manufacturing and utilities recorded the most stable figures.Article contentTrending Canada's population declines for the first time since the pandemic News 'Why let one person in the States change your life?' For Canadian snowbirds, the stay or go dilemma gets complicated Real Estate Is a $2.75 million portfolio enough for Halifax empty nesters to retire early?
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Personal Finance World watches as Ottawa's bullish shift on LNG puts wind at the back of two major projects Oil & Gas Expect 'dramatically higher' oil prices in 2026, says Eric Nuttall Oil & Gas