The number of job vacancies in Canada fell for the third consecutive quarter in the first quarter after reaching a high in the second quarter of 2022, Statistics Canada reported today. There were 33,500 job vacancies in the first quarter of this year, down 3.8% from the fourth quarter.
The job vacancy rate – the ratio of vacant positions to total labor demand — fell by 0.2 percentage points to 4.7%. Statistics Canada noted this was the third consecutive decrease and the lowest rate since the second quarter of 2021 when it was 4.3%.
Furthermore, job vacancies declined in eight of 20 broad industrial sectors and five of 10 broad occupational groups in the first quarter.
Regionally, Job vacancies fell in 10 of 69 economic regions. The largest decrease was in Toronto, where job vacancies fell by 18,000 to a total of 136,300. It was followed by Lower Mainland–Southwest, British Columbia (down 5,000 job vacancies to a total of 74,400) and Ottawa, Ontario, down 3,500 job vacancies to 28,400.
On the other hand, the number of unfilled positions rose slightly in four economic regions, with the largest increases recorded in Winnipeg, Manitoba, up by 2,600 to a total of 18,800, and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, up 900 to a total of 5,900.