The quarterly report of Statistics Canada on vacancies shows a record high level of offers in the field of construction, manufacturing, catering, medicine, services. The number of open vacancies peaked in the second quarter of 2021 for the entire history of observations since 2015.
In the second quarter, 731,900 vacancies were recorded, which is almost 26% more than in the same period two years ago. The number of job offers has increased in all provinces compared to 2019. The largest increase was recorded in Quebec and Ontario. The vacancy rate was highest in British Columbia and Quebec.
The average salary was $18.1 per hour, which is $1.24 more than in 2019, the average salary increased in all provinces except Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as Alberta. A significant increase occurred on Prince Edward Island and in British Columbia.
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Even before the pandemic, Canada was experiencing a labor shortage, which was partially solved by immigration. In 2020, the number of immigrants arriving in Canada was one of the lowest in the history of observations, which only aggravated the harsh conditions in the labor market. To solve this problem, Canada plans to expand the permanent residence program for students and professionals, introduces a new open work permit and allocates almost $80 million to support the integration of newcomers.
However, low immigration is only one factor. Experts attribute the shortage of specialists to insufficient wages, prolonged lockdowns and difficult conditions.
There was a particularly high growth in job offers in several sectors. Every seventh vacancy in Canada is in the health and social care sector. In two years, the number of offers has increased by more than 40,000 – up to 108,800. And, despite the fact that the average hourly wage, for example, for nurses is $26.1, which is almost 6% more than in 2019, workers are being dismissed en masse due to pandemic burnout.
Experts suggest that the number of vacancies will increase, as workers who postponed dismissal or retired at the beginning of the pandemic will leave the labor market. Statistics Canada reports that more than 8% of businesses expect an increase in the number of vacancies this quarter.
Source: CIC News
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