Job vacancies, third quarter 2025
Released: 2025-12-16
Job vacancies fall in the third quarter of 2025
In the third quarter of 2025, job vacancies fell by 14,000 (-2.8%) to 492,500, following declines of 19,900 (-3.6%) in the first quarter of 2025 and 18,300 (-3.5%) in the second quarter. The decline in the third quarter continued the downward trend observed since vacancies peaked in the second quarter of 2022 (985,900). Job vacancies fell in full-time positions (-11,200; -3.0%) in the third quarter of 2025, while there was little change for part-time positions. Vacancies also fell in permanent positions (-12,800; -3.1%), while temporary positions saw little change.
Year over year, job vacancies were down for both full-time (-50,800; -12.3%) and part-time (-5,100; -3.8%) positions in the third quarter. Job vacancies were also down on a year-over-year basis for permanent (-44,800; -10.7%) and temporary (-7,900; -8.0%) positions.
Infographic 1
Job vacancies in the third quarter of 2025 continuing downward trend since the second quarter of 2022
The proportion of long-term vacancies—vacancies for which recruitment efforts have been ongoing for 90 days or more—continued to trend down. In the third quarter of 2025, 27.1% of job vacancies were long-term, down from 31.6% during the same quarter in 2024 (not seasonally adjusted). This indicates that in addition to having fewer job vacancies, employers had fewer difficulties filling available positions compared with previous quarters.
Chart 1
Long-term job vacancies trending downward since the third quarter of 2022
Total labour demand (the sum of filled and vacant positions) rose by 18,900 (+0.1%) in the third quarter, as the decline in vacancies was more than offset by an increase in payroll employment (+32,900; +0.2%).
The job vacancy rate—which corresponds to the number of vacant positions as a proportion of total labour demand—held steady in the third quarter at 2.8%. On a year-over-year basis, the job vacancy rate was down 0.3 percentage points.
Job vacancies down in six broad occupational groups
In the third quarter of 2025, job vacancies decreased in six broad occupational groups, led by declines in occupations in education, law and social, community and government services (-3,200; -6.7%), trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (-3,000; -3.3%) and in health occupations (-2,200; -3.2%). At the same time, vacancies were little changed in the remaining four broad occupational groups.
On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were down in 8 of the 10 broad occupational groups in the third quarter, led by health occupations (-12,300; -15.5%), trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (-11,800; -11.8%) and business, finance and administration occupations (-9,500; -12.8%). Occupations in manufacturing and utilities and natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations were the only two occupational groups to record little year-over-year change in the number of job vacancies.
Vacancies in occupations in education, law and social, community and government services decrease
Job vacancies in occupations in education, law and social, community and government services fell (-3,200; -6.7%) to 45,100 in the third quarter of 2025. Despite this decline, job vacancies in this broad occupational group remained significantly above the pre-COVID-19 pandemic level (36,000 in the fourth quarter of 2019).
Year over year, vacancies in occupations in education, law and social, community and government services were down by 9,100 (-16.5%) in the third quarter. Within this broad occupational group, the largest year-over-year decreases were in vacancies for early childhood educators and assistants (-2,100 to 7,500), social and community service workers (-1,700 to 9,100) and home support workers, caregivers and related occupations (-900 to 4,700). Together, these three occupations accounted for almost half (46.7%) of the total vacancies in occupations in education, law and social, community and government services in the third quarter (not seasonally adjusted).
Vacancies in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations decrease for third consecutive quarter
In the third quarter of 2025, there were 87,700 job vacancies in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations, down by 3,000 (-3.3%) from the previous quarter.
Year over year, vacancies in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations were down by 11,900 (-11.0%) in the third quarter. The largest decreases were in vacancies for construction trades helpers and labourers (-2,700 to 9,600), transport truck drivers (-1,600 to 11,600) and material handlers (-1,200 to 6,300). These decreases were partially offset by increases in vacancies for carpenters (+2,500 to 7,200), residential and commercial installers and servicers (+600 to 2,300) and facility operation and maintenance managers (+400 to 1,200) (not seasonally adjusted).
Growth in average offered hourly wage slows
Growth in the average offered hourly wage for vacant positions has decelerated in 2025. On a year-over-year basis, the average offered hourly wage was up by 3.3% to $28.45 in the third quarter of 2025, compared with growth of 4.5% (to $28.00) in the second quarter of 2025, and growth of 6.1% (to $28.90) in the first quarter of 2025. A similar deceleration in wage growth was recorded for full-time and part-time positions as well as for permanent and temporary positions (data in this section are not seasonally adjusted).
In comparison, year-over-year growth in average hourly wages for all employees (from the Labour Force Survey) was 3.3% in the third quarter of 2025, the same growth rate as the previous quarter.
Chart 2
Growth in average offered hourly wage continues to decelerate in the third quarter of 2025
Largest decline in vacancies for positions requiring a high school diploma or less
Compared with a year earlier, job vacancies were down for all combined educational levels in the third quarter of 2025. Vacancies requiring a high school diploma or less fell the most (-27,300; -9.0%) and accounted for nearly half (-49.4%) of the overall year-over-year decline in job vacancies. The ratio of the number of unemployed persons with a high school diploma or less for every job vacancy requiring this level of education increased from 2.3 in the third quarter of 2024 to 2.7 in the third quarter of 2025 (data in this section are not seasonally adjusted and exclude data from the territories).
Over the same period, the number of vacancies for positions requiring a trade certificate or diploma fell by 8,300 (-11.2%), while the number of unemployed people with this education level rose by 27,300 (+27.3%). The unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio for this level of education was 1.9 in the third quarter of 2025, up from 1.3 in the same quarter of 2024. Despite the increase, the unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio for positions requiring a trade certificate or diploma was lower than for positions with other educational requirements.
At the same time, the number of vacancies for positions requiring a bachelor's degree or higher fell by 9,500 (-11.0%), while the number of unemployed people with this education level rose by 32,400 (+10.0%). The unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio for this level of education was 6.1 in the third quarter of 2025, up from 5.1 in the same quarter of 2024.
In the third quarter of 2025, the average offered hourly wage for job vacancies requiring a bachelor's degree or higher was $44.00, more than twice that for vacancies requiring a high school diploma or less ($21.85).
Infographic 2
Job vacancies down for all combined educational levels in third quarter of 2025
Job vacancy rate falls in 35 of 69 economic regions on a yearly basis
In the third quarter of 2025, job vacancies decreased in Ontario (-7,800 to 171,800), Alberta (-3,800 to 59,500) and Saskatchewan (-900 to 15,800). Meanwhile, job vacancies increased in New Brunswick (+1,100 to 10,100) and Prince Edward Island (+400 to 2,400).
In Ontario, the decline in vacancies in the third quarter was concentrated in the economic regions of Toronto (-3,600; -4.2%), Ottawa (-1,900; -10.8%) and London (-1,100; -11.2%). In Alberta, the economic region of Calgary recorded the largest decline (-2,700; -11.0%).
On a year-over-year basis, the job vacancy rate was down in 35 of the 69 economic regions in the third quarter. The largest declines were recorded in Parklands and North, Manitoba (-2.2 percentage points to 3.9%), Cape Breton, Nova Scotia (-1.3 percentage points to 3.3%) and Northeast, British Columbia (-1.3 percentage points to 3.7%). Conversely, the largest increases in the job vacancy rate were recorded in Edmundston–Woodstock, New Brunswick (+0.6 percentage points to 3.5%) and Southeast, Manitoba (+0.6 percentage points to 3.4%).
Chart 3
10 economic regions with the highest and lowest job vacancy rates
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. These 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 tables 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 December 16, 2025.
Next releases
Data on job vacancies from the JVWS for the fourth quarter of 2025 will be released on March 17, 2026.
Preliminary monthly data on job vacancies from the JVWS for October 2025 will be released on December 18, 2025.
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
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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