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July 29, 2021JOB VACANCIES, MAY 2021 Statistics Canada released today monthly results from the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey (JVWS) for May 2021.
Nova Scotia had 13,570 job vacancies in May 2021 with a vacancy rate of 3.1%. Canadian employers were actively recruiting for 671,140 positions (not seasonally adjusted) in May with a vacancy rate of 4.2%. The highest vacancy rates were reported in Quebec (5.1%) and British Columbia (5.0%). Newfoundland and Labrador recorded the lowest vacancy rate at 2.8%.
Nationally, health care and social assistance sector had the highest number of job vacancies at 107,300, with a job vacancy rate of 4.8% (not seasonally adjusted). The highest job vacancy rates were reported in accommodation and food services (7.8%), agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (6.6%), and arts, entertainment and recreation (6.3%). Educational services (1.2%) and utilities (1.9%) had the lowest vacancy rates in May 2021.
Notes: The job vacancy rate is a key indicator of labour market conditions. The job vacancy rate is the percentage of job positions (both filled and vacant) that are vacant. A higher job vacancy rate indicates a tighter labour market where it is more difficult for employers to find suitable candidates for the positions offered. A lower job vacancy rate signals labour market slack and potentially more job seekers competing for each vacant position.
Information on monthly job vacancies will continue in future Statistics Canada releases, and a more detailed analysis will be released with quarterly estimates from the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0371-01 Job vacancies, payroll employees, and job vacancy rate by provinces and territories, monthly, unadjusted for seasonality; Table 14-10-0372-01 Job vacancies, payroll employees, and job vacancy rate by industry sector, monthly, unadjusted for seasonality
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