Job vacancies, second quarter 2024
Released: 2024-09-17
Job vacancies continue to decline in the second quarter of 2024
Job vacancies fell by 59,000 (-9.2%) to 582,600 in the second quarter, marking the eighth consecutive quarterly decline from the record high of 983,600 reached in the second quarter of 2022. The drop in the second quarter of 2024 was approximately twice the decline observed in the previous quarter (-30,200; -4.5%).
In the second quarter, job vacancies decreased for both permanent positions (-43,400; -8.3%) and temporary positions (-15,600; -12.9%). Vacancies also fell for full-time positions (-45,400; -9.5%) and part-time positions (-13,600; -8.3%).
Meanwhile, payroll employment increased by 62,000 (+0.4%) in the second quarter. Total labour demand (the sum of filled and vacant positions) was little changed compared to the first quarter of 2024, and was also little changed from the second quarter of 2023.
The job vacancy rate—which corresponds to the number of vacant positions as a proportion of total labour demand—decreased 0.3 percentage points to 3.3% in the second quarter of 2024, marking the eighth consecutive quarterly decline. The job vacancy rate in the second quarter was at its lowest since the first quarter of 2020 (3.3%).
Infographic 1
Job vacancies continue to trend down at a faster pace in the second quarter of 2024
Labour market continues to ease as unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio trends up
There were 2.4 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in the second quarter of 2024. The unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio has trended up since the third quarter of 2022. The steady increase in this ratio over this period was driven by a decrease in job vacancies (-374,500; -39.2%) combined with an increase in the number of unemployed persons (+315,600; +29.9%, as estimated in the Labour Force Survey).
Infographic 2
Unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio highest since the second quarter of 2021
Job vacancies decline in 7 of 10 broad occupational groups
In the second quarter, job vacancies fell in 7 of the 10 broad occupational groups, with the largest decreases taking place in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (-19,200; -15.3%), followed by sales and service occupations (-18,400; -9.9%), business, finance and administration occupations (-4,600; -5.8%), and natural and applied sciences and related occupations (-4,500; -9.6%).
Job vacancies were little changed in the second quarter in natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations (13,100 vacancies), occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport (10,800 vacancies), and legislative and senior management occupations (1,100 vacancies).
Chart 1
Job vacancies continue to decrease in broad occupational groups in the second quarter
Job vacancies decline for the eighth consecutive quarter in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations
In the second quarter, job vacancies decreased by 19,200 (-15.3%) to 105,900 in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations. This was the eighth consecutive quarterly decline from the record high (195,000) reached in the second quarter of 2022.
On a year-over-year basis, the number of vacant positions in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations was down by 46,900 (-29.0%) in the second quarter of 2024. The largest year-over-year decreases in vacancies within this broad occupational group were for transport truck drivers (-8,500 to 15,400), construction trades helpers and labourers (-5,700 to 14,500), material handlers (-3,700 to 7,500), and residential and commercial installers and servicers (-3,100 to 2,000) (not seasonally adjusted).
Job vacancies in sales and service occupations continue their downward trend
Job vacancies in sales and service occupations continued to decline, falling by 18,400 (-9.9%) to 168,400 in the second quarter of 2024, the seventh consecutive quarterly decline. Vacancies in sales and service occupations accounted for nearly 3 in 10 (28.9%) vacancies in the second quarter, the largest share among all 10 broad occupational groups; they were little changed from the previous quarter (29.1%), but were down 3.1 percentage points from the second quarter of 2023 (32.0%).
Year over year, job vacancies in sales and service occupations declined by 88,000 (-32.2%) in the second quarter of 2024, the largest year-over-year decline out of all the broad occupational groups. Within this broad occupational group, vacancies for food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations (-21,800 to 32,900), retail salespersons and visual merchandisers (-13,500 to 20,200), and other customer and information services representatives (-8,000 to 7,400) recorded the largest year-over-year declines in the second quarter (not seasonally adjusted).
Fewer job vacancies in business, finance and administration occupations
In the second quarter, job vacancies in business, finance and administration occupations declined by 4,600 (-5.8%) to 75,100, the lowest level since the first quarter of 2021 (69,000).
Year-over-year declines in the second quarter of 2024 within the business, finance and administration broad occupational group were largest for vacancies in professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations (-1,900 to 5,600), followed by accounting and related clerks (-1,600 to 2,400), and administrative assistants (-1,300 to 5,300) (not seasonally adjusted).
Health occupations decline quarter over quarter and year over year
In the second quarter, job vacancies in health occupations decreased by 3,900 (-4.3%) to 88,600, marking the first significant quarterly decline since the peak in the third quarter of 2022 (97,400). The proportional decrease in vacancies for health occupations in the second quarter of 2024 (-4.3%) was significantly smaller than for all occupations combined (-9.2%). As a result, the proportion of all vacancies for health occupations rose from 14.4% in the first quarter to 15.2% in the second quarter.
On a year-over-year basis, the number of vacant positions in health occupations fell by 4,300 (-4.7%) in the second quarter. This included declines across 10 unit groups, the largest of which was for registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (-1,900 to 27,700), followed by nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (-1,700 to 18,000), and licensed practical nurses (-1,200 to 12,300) (not seasonally adjusted).
In health occupations, the proportion of long-term vacancies (those for which recruitment efforts have been ongoing for 90 days or more) was 45.8% in the second quarter, down 11.6 percentage points from the same quarter a year earlier. Despite this decline, the proportion of long-term vacancies for health occupations remained higher than the corresponding proportion for all occupations (30.1%) (not seasonally adjusted).
Growth in average offered hourly wages remains robust in the second quarter
On a year-over-year basis, the average offered hourly wage for vacant positions increased 6.8% to $26.80 in the second quarter, compared with an annual increase of 7.3% to $27.25 in the previous quarter. In comparison, the average hourly wages of all employees (as measured in the Labour Force Survey) grew 5.1% year over year in the second quarter of 2024, unchanged from the growth rate in the previous quarter (data used in this section are not seasonally adjusted).
Year over year, the average offered hourly wage for full-time positions increased by 6.6% to $28.20, while part-time positions grew at a faster rate (+7.7% to $22.50). It also increased for permanent (+7.2% to $27.60) and temporary (+5.1% to $23.75) positions.
Positions requiring a high school diploma or a lower level of education drive overall decline in vacancies
On a year-over-year basis, there were fewer job vacancies for the four combined educational levels sought by employers in the second quarter. Positions requiring a high school diploma or less decreased by 140,900 (-29.8%), accounting for 71.5% of the overall year-over-year decline in job vacancies (data used in this section are not seasonally adjusted).
Infographic 3
Large decrease in vacancies for positions requiring high school diploma or less in the second quarter
Fewer job vacancies in 25 of 69 economic regions
In the second quarter, job vacancies decreased in Quebec (-16.3% to 126,100), Prince Edward Island (-13.8% to 2,500), Ontario (-9.7% to 204,400), Alberta (-6.5% to 71,400), Saskatchewan (-6.3% to 20,200), British Columbia (-4.6% to 100,200), and Yukon (-16.1% to 1,000), while remaining steady in the other provinces and territories.
Job vacancies were down in 25 of 69 economic regions in the second quarter. The largest declines were observed in Toronto, Ontario (-6,100 to 98,800), Montérégie, Quebec (-5,500 to 17,500), and Lower Mainland — Southwest, British Columbia (-4,500 to 61,100). Job vacancies were little changed in the remaining 44 economic regions.
Year over year, the job vacancy rates declined in 60 of 69 economic regions in the second quarter. Only the region of Southwest, Manitoba saw an increase in the job vacancy rate in the second quarter (+0.5 percentage points to 4.3%), while the remaining eight economic regions were little changed.
The largest year-over-year declines in the job vacancy rate in the second quarter were observed in Quebec: Capitale-Nationale (-2.6 percentage points to 3.0%), Côte-Nord and Nord-du-Québec (-2.3 percentage points to 3.5%), Laval (-2.1 percentage points to 2.1%) and Laurentides (-2.1 percentage points to 3.4%). These decreases contributed to the overall decline in Quebec (-1.5 percentage points to 3.2%), which was the largest year-over-year decline among all provinces.
Map 1
Job vacancy rate by province, second quarter of 2024
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Note to readers
The Job Vacancy and Wage Survey (JVWS) provides comprehensive data on job vacancies and offered wages by industrial sector and detailed occupation for Canada and the provinces, territories and economic regions. Additional information is also available by occupation, such as the proportion of job vacancies for full-time and part-time positions, the duration of job vacancies, the levels of education and experience sought for the job, and other characteristics. Job vacancy, offered wage, and vacancy characteristics data are released quarterly.
Estimates by sector are based on the North American Industry Classification System 2022 Version 1.0. Estimates by geographical area are based on the Standard Geographical Classification 2021. Estimates by occupation reflect the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0. The NOC is a five-tiered hierarchical structure of occupational groups with successive levels of disaggregation. The structure is as follows: (1) 10 broad occupational categories, also referred to as one-digit NOC; (2) 45 major groups, also referred to as two-digit NOC; (3) 89 sub-major groups, also referred to as three-digit NOC; (4) 162 minor groups, also referred to as four-digit NOC; and (5) 516 unit groups, also referred to as five-digit NOC.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, data collection for the JVWS was suspended for the second and third quarters of 2020.
Preliminary monthly estimates are produced for job vacancies and job vacancy rates by province and by industrial sector. The JVWS preliminary monthly estimates are released on a monthly basis with the estimates from the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours. More information about the concepts and use of data from the JVWS is available in the Guide to the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey (75-514-G).
The target population of the survey includes all business locations in Canada, excluding those involved primarily in religious organizations and private households. Federal, provincial, and territorial, as well as international and other extraterritorial public administrations, are also excluded from the survey.
Unless otherwise stated, this release presents seasonally adjusted estimates, which facilitate comparisons by removing the effects of seasonal variations. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.
Seasonally adjusted quarterly job vacancy data are available online (tables 14-10-0398-01, 14-10-0399-01 and 14-10-0400-01). The analyses of the job vacancy levels and rates by sector (20 broad industrial sector groups), one-digit NOC (10 broad occupational categories), province and economic region are based on seasonally adjusted data. However, the analyses of the job vacancy levels and rates by subsector, two-digit NOC, three-digit NOC, four-digit NOC, and five-digit NOC are based on non-seasonally adjusted data.
The unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio excludes the territories for consistency with the geographic coverage of the Labour Force Survey.
This analysis focuses on differences between estimates that are statistically significant at the 68% confidence level.
Data tables
Tables 14-10-0325, 14-10-0326, 14-10-0328 and 14-10-0356 have now been archived. They have been replaced with 14-10-0441-01, 14-10-0442-01, 14-10-0443-01, and 14-10-0444-01, respectively, presenting the new classifications.
Data tables are updated on September 17, 2024.
Next releases
Data on job vacancies from the JVWS for the third quarter of 2024 will be released on December 16, 2024.
Preliminary monthly data on job vacancies from the JVWS for July 2024 will be released on September 26, 2024.
Products
More information about the concepts and use of data from the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey is available online in the Guide to the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey (75-514-G).
The product "Labour Market Indicators, by province, territory and economic region, unadjusted for seasonality" (71-607-X) is also available. This dynamic web application provides access to Statistics Canada's labour market indicators for Canada, by province, territory and economic region, and allows users to view a snapshot of key labour market indicators, observe geographical rankings for each indicator using an interactive map and table, and easily copy data into other programs.
Contact information
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