Job vacancies, first quarter 2026
Released: 2026-06-16
Job vacancies increase in the first quarter of 2026
Job vacancies increased by 11,800 (+2.4%) in the first quarter of 2026 to 506,700. This was the first increase in job vacancies since the second quarter of 2022. Job vacancies rose for full-time (+7,700; +2.1%) and part-time (+4,100; +3.3%) occupations, as well as for permanent (+7,400; +1.8%) and temporary (+4,400; +5.0%) positions.
Year over year, job vacancies were down by 3.2% (-16,700) in the first quarter of 2026. This decrease was a marked slowdown from the one recorded in the previous quarter (-8.8%).
Infographic 1
Job vacancies increase for the first time since the second quarter of 2022
Total labour demand (the sum of filled and vacant positions) rose by 60,900 (+0.3%) in the first quarter, due to an increase in vacancies (+11,800; +2.4%) and an increase in payroll employment (+49,100; +0.3%).
The job vacancy rate—which corresponds to the number of vacant positions as a proportion of total labour demand—held steady in the first quarter at 2.8%. On a year-over-year basis, the job vacancy rate was down 0.1 percentage points.
The proportion of long-term vacancies—vacancies for which recruitment efforts have been ongoing for 90 days or more—was 28.0% in the first quarter of 2026, down 3.2 percentage points from the first quarter of 2025 (31.2%) (not seasonally adjusted). This indicates that employers had fewer difficulties filling available positions compared with a year earlier.
Unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio remains highest for bachelor's degree or higher
The unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio—the number of unemployed persons per job vacancy—was 3.0 in the first quarter of 2026, compared with 3.1 in the previous quarter. The unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2026 was 6.6%, down from 6.8% in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Compared with a year earlier, job vacancies were down in positions for three of the four required educational levels in the first quarter of 2026. Vacancies for jobs requiring other non-university certificates and university certificates below a bachelor's degree fell the most (-7,300; -7.1%), followed by vacancies for jobs requiring a bachelor's degree or higher (-6,000; -6.9%) and for jobs requiring a trade certificate or diploma (-3,100; -4.6%). In contrast, positions requiring a high school diploma or less did not record a significant change in job vacancies year over year (not seasonally adjusted).
Infographic 2
Job vacancies down in positions for three of the four educational levels in the first quarter of 2026
In the first quarter, the ratio of unemployed people per job vacancy remained highest for people with a bachelor's degree or higher (5.0), followed by those with a high school diploma or less (3.1), other non-university certificates and university certificates below a bachelor's degree (3.0) and a trade certificate or diploma (2.3) (not seasonally adjusted).
Chart 1
Year over year, unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio is little changed across educational levels
Job vacancies up in five broad occupational groups and down in one
Job vacancies increased in 5 of the 10 broad occupational groups in the first quarter, led by sales and service occupations (+8,400; +5.8%), trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (+4,900; +5.3%) and natural and applied sciences and related occupations (+1,500; +4.0%). Vacancies declined in health occupations (-3,300; -5.0%). The remaining four broad occupational groups were little changed.
On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were down in 5 of the 10 broad occupational groups in the first quarter. The largest declines were in health occupations (-12,000; -16.0%), and occupations in education, law and social, community and government services (-6,300; -12.6%). Occupations in manufacturing and utilities (+1,700; +9.5%) was the lone broad occupational group to record a year-over-year increase in the first quarter.
Job vacancies increase in sales and service occupations for the first time since 2021
Vacancies in sales and service occupations rose by 8,400 (+5.8%) to 153,000 in the first quarter of 2026. This was the first quarterly increase in vacancies in this broad occupational group since the fourth quarter of 2021.
Year over year, vacancies in sales and service occupations were little changed in the first quarter of 2026. Job vacancies in this broad occupational group were up for part-time (+2,400; +4.2%) and temporary (+2,700; +10.7%) positions, while they were little changed in both full-time and permanent positions.
Within sales and service occupations, vacancies for cooks (-1,300 to 9,000) and technical sales specialists - wholesale trade (-600 to 2,900) recorded the largest year-over-year declines in the first quarter. Conversely, vacancies for store shelf stockers, clerks and order fillers (+2,100 to 6,800), food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations (+1,500 to 24,400) and cashiers (+900 to 4,200) recorded the largest increases (not seasonally adjusted).
Vacancies in health occupations continue to decline
Job vacancies in health occupations fell by 3,300 (-5.0%) to 62,700 in the first quarter of 2026, the lowest level of vacancies in health occupations since the first quarter of 2020. While job vacancies in other broad occupational groups have recorded increases or stabilized in recent quarters, vacancies in health occupations have continued to decline.
Year over year, vacancies in health occupations were down by 12,000 (-16.0%) in the first quarter of 2026. The largest year-over-year decreases were in vacancies for registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (-3,800 to 17,100), nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (-2,600 to 13,500) and licensed practical nurses (-2,500 to 7,500). Together, these three occupations accounted for 60.7% of the total vacancies in health occupations in the first quarter (not seasonally adjusted).
Growth in average offered hourly wage decelerates in the first quarter
On a year-over-year basis, the average offered hourly wage for vacant positions was up by 2.2% (+$0.65) to $29.55 in the first quarter, following a 3.4% year-over-year increase to $29.25 in the fourth quarter of 2025 (data in this section are not seasonally adjusted).
In comparison, the average hourly wage for all employees (as measured by the Labour Force Survey (LFS)) was up by 4.0% in the first quarter of 2026, following an increase of 3.5% in the previous quarter.
Recent increases in average offered hourly wages for vacant positions have partly reflected a shift in the relative composition of job vacancies towards occupations that typically offer lower wages. Using a method that holds constant the composition of job vacancies by occupation (based on the composition observed in the first quarter of 2025), average offered hourly wages grew by 3.2% on a year-over-year basis in the first quarter of 2026. This implies that lower-wage occupations make up a larger share of job vacancies compared with the first quarter of 2025.
Average offered wage higher than reservation wage
In February and March of 2026, the LFS collected information on reservation wages, or the lowest amount of pay, before taxes, that unemployed people would be prepared to accept if they found a suitable job. When offered wages are close to, or above, the reservation wage, it can be easier for employers to fill job vacancies (data in this section are not seasonally adjusted).
The matching process between employers looking for new hires, and workers looking for jobs, is influenced by many factors. For workers, non-wage conditions such as employer-sponsored pension plans, medical insurance and paid leave entitlements can be important, but a principal factor is the relationship between the wages offered by employers and the wage expectations of job seekers.
In February and March 2026, the average hourly reservation wage (among unemployed people who had worked in the past year) was $27.75, up 6.5% from the same months in 2024, the last time comparable data were collected. Meanwhile, the average offered hourly wage for vacant positions in the first quarter of 2026 was $29.55, up 8.4% from the same quarter in 2024.
Variations in reservation wages and offered wages may reflect changes in labour market conditions, as well as changes in the composition of the unemployed population or in the composition of vacancies.
From the first quarter of 2024 to the first quarter of 2026, the average hourly reservation wage grew the fastest among unemployed people who had a high school diploma (includes high school graduate or some post-secondary education) or a lower level of education (+10.0% to $24.25) and those with a trade certificate or diploma (+8.6% to $30.20). In comparison, growth was slowest among those with a bachelor's degree or higher (+3.6% to $32.70).
Over the same period, growth in average offered wages for vacant positions was more similar across education levels, with increases ranging from 6.6% (to $22.65) for positions requiring a high school diploma or less, to 9.1% (to $32.35) for positions requiring other non-university certificates and university certificates below a bachelor's degree.
Job vacancies increase in three provinces and one territory, and decrease in one province
Job vacancies increased in Ontario (+8,800 to 177,300), as well as in British Columbia (+4,100 to 82,800), Alberta (+2,900 to 64,100) and Yukon (+200 to 900) in the first quarter. Quebec (-3,900 to 113,600) was the sole province to record a decrease in the quarter. Vacancies in the remaining provinces and territories were little changed.
On a year-over-year basis, the job vacancy rate was down in 18 economic regions and up in 7 in the first quarter. The largest declines were recorded in Parklands and North, Manitoba (-1.7 percentage points to 3.5%), Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec (-1.4 percentage points to 3.3%) and Kootenay, British Columbia (-0.9 percentage points to 3.3%). Conversely, the largest increases were recorded in Yorkton—Melville, Saskatchewan (+1.0 percentage points to 4.7%), Edmundston—Woodstock, New Brunswick (+1.0 percentage points to 3.4%) and Yukon (+0.7 percentage points to 4.4%).
Chart 2
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 Seasonal adjustment: Concepts and interpretation, 2026.
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.
Revisions to seasonally-adjusted Job Vacancy and Wage Survey tables
On June 16, 2026, revised quarterly JVWS seasonally adjusted data were released resulting in minor changes to the estimates. Estimates from the first quarter of 2015 to the fourth quarter of 2025 were republished, incorporating a fine-tuning of the parameters used in the seasonal adjustment process. Estimates from the first quarter of 2026 onward also use the updated seasonal adjustment parameters.
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 June 16, 2026.
Next releases
Data on job vacancies from the JVWS for the second quarter of 2026 will be released on September 15.
Preliminary monthly data on job vacancies from the JVWS for April 2026 will be released on June 25.
Correction note
On June 22, 2026, a correction was made to chart 2. The list of 10 economic regions with the lowest job vacancy rates was inaccurate.
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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