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May 26, 2022JOB VACANCIES, MARCH 2022 Statistics Canada released today monthly results from the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey (JVWS) for March 2022.
Nova Scotia had 22,980 job vacancies in March 2022 with a vacancy rate of 5.2%. This was the highest number of vacancies and highest vacancy rate recorded in Nova Scotia since the series started in October 2020.
Canadian employers were actively recruiting for 1,012,920 positions (not seasonally adjusted) in March with a vacancy rate of 5.9%. The number of vacancies also hit a record high at the national level in March.
The highest vacancy rates were reported in British Columbia while the lowest vacancy rate was reported in Newfoundland and Labrador. Compared toMarch 2021, the job vacancy rate was higher in March 2022 for all provinces.
The number of vacancies increased 45.3% from the previous month in Nova Scotia. Nationally, job vacancies increased 22.6% from February 2022. Vacancies were up in all provinces from the previous month. Saskatchewan posted the largest gain while Alberta recorded the lowest month-over-month increase in March. Note that job vacancy data are not adjusted for seasonal patterns.
Nova Scotia job vacancies were 62.5% higher than they were one year ago. The number of vacancies were up in all provinces compared to March 2021, with the largest growth in vacancies being in Prince Edward Island. Manitoba reported the lowest increase in March 2022 compared with one year ago.
Nationally, accommodation and food services sector had the highest number of job vacancies at 158,055 with a job vacancy rate of 12.8%. This was the highest vacancy rate across all sectors for the 11th consecutive month.
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, construction, administrative and support, waste management and remediation services, and other services had the next highest vacancy rates. The lowest vacancy rate was for educational services in March 2022. Job vacancy information was not available for utilities sector in March. Job vacancy rates were up for every industry at the national level compared to one year ago.
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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