A state of anxiety has struck residents and travelers for work in Canada, especially after the recent decisions taken by the federal government, and November of last year witnessed a jump to 653,000 job vacancies, after the October recession and five consecutive months of losses from May until September of 2023.
There were 211,100 fewer job openings in November compared to January 2023, and 350,200 fewer than in May 2022, a decrease of 34.9%.
Total labor demand
Total labor demand, which includes both filled and unfilled positions, remained relatively unchanged at 17,811 in November 2023 from October, but it declined 0.2%, or 29,000, from January of that year.
The service sector (hotels, restaurants, and food processing) was hit the hardest, followed by the retail sector (+12.2%), manufacturing (+1.2% increase), and corporate and institutional manufacturing (+32.9 percent) in that order.
Vacancies in thirteen other industries remained relatively unchanged, but those in public administration declined by 2,700 positions, or 16.9 percent.
High vacancy rate
In November, there was a small increase of 0.1% to 3.7% in the job vacancy rate, which is calculated as the number of job opportunities divided by the total labor demand.
Although it was down 4.8% from the previous month, this was the first increase since January 2023.
From September through October, the number of unemployed persons per available position stayed constant at 1.9 in November.
Due to a decrease in job openings (-211,100; -24.4%) and a rise in the number of jobless (+194,400; +18.6%), the unemployment-to-vacancy ratio rose in November from 1.2 in January 2023.
Job openings in accommodation and food services are up
There was a 9,300 (+12.6%) increase to 82,800 job opportunities in the hotel and food services sector in November. Despite the increase, there were 38,400 fewer job opportunities in the industry in November compared to November 2022, a fall of 31.7%.
All industries saw the biggest drop from the previous year.
While it was down from 8.8% the previous year, the sector's vacancy rate increased from 5.4% in October to 6.0% in November of last year.
Job openings in retail and manufacturing rose
The number of open positions in the retail sector rose by 7,500 (+12.2%) in November, mostly offsetting the net decline from August to October (-8,200; -11.7%).
The vacancy rate rose 0.3% to 3.3% in November, but remained down from 4.6% in January 2023.
Manufacturing saw job vacancies rise by 2,800 (+7.1%) to 41,800 in November, after a decline in October (-7,100; -15.4%) and little change in September.
The manufacturing vacancy rate was 2.6% in November, up from 2.4% in October, but down from 2.9% in August and September.
Job vacancies have not changed in health care and social assistance
For three months running, the number of health care and social support job opportunities has stayed relatively stable at 127,100 in November.
On the other hand, it was a decrease of 24,500 (-16.2%) from April, when there were 151,600 vacancies—not far off from the record high of 152,800 in July 2022.
Employment increased by 4.4% and vacancies decreased by 7.3%, or -10,000, in November 2023, contributing to a 3.7% annual increase in total labor demand.
Ontario job vacancies
November saw a rise of 21,200 (+9.8%) to 237,100 job opportunities in Ontario, following a stagnant October and a fall of -21,700 (-8.8%) in September.
In the other governorates, the number of open positions did not vary significantly.
The percentage of unfilled jobs was 2.5% on Prince Edward Island in November and 4.2% in British Columbia.
Types of employment contracts in Canada
- Permanent employment contracts: These are the most common types and are signed between the employer and the employee, as they specify many important aspects such as salary, benefits, duties, responsibilities, and time period.
- Temporary employment contracts: These contracts are used to employ workers for a specific period of time, which is suitable for meeting temporary work needs for the period of temporary absence of a permanent employee, and specify the salary, benefits, and duration of the contract.
- Commission employment contracts: The employee receives a commission based on the volume of sales or deals he completes, and the commission percentage is determined based on the contract.
- Part-time contracts: They employ workers for a limited number of hours per week or month. These contracts are for those who want flexibility in work or the need to provide coverage for peak periods.
- Seasonal employment contracts: They involve employing workers for limited periods of time during the year, and are related to tourist seasons such as summer and winter or in certain industries that witness temporary demand such as agriculture or hotels and resorts.
- Freelance work contracts: Some people in Canada think of themselves as freelancers rather than being permanent employees, and in this case they sign freelance work contracts with companies or individuals who hire them to implement specific projects. These contracts are of a different nature and require different arrangements regarding salary, taxes, and insurance. Healthy.
