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April 24, 2025JOB VACANCIES, FEBRUARY 2025 Monthly (February 2025 vs January 2025, seasonally adjusted)
Nova Scotia had 13,465 job vacancies in February 2025 with a vacancy rate of 2.8%, down from 2.9% in January. Canadian employers were actively recruiting for 527,970 positions in February with the national job vacancy rate unchanged at 2.9% compared to January. Four provinces reported higher vacancy rates from the previous month, with no change in British Columbia (Prince Edward Island data was suppressed in January 2025). The highest vacancy rate was reported in Manitoba, while the lowest vacancy rate was reported in Newfoundland and Labrador. The job vacancy rate was unchanged in British Columbia.
When compared to January 2025, the number of job vacancies in Nova Scotia rose 0.6% (+85 vacant jobs) in February. National job vacancies rose 0.6% (+3,050 vacant jobs). Job vacancies rose in five provinces with the fastest increase in Manitoba. Saskatchewan reported the largest decline in vacancies compared to January (Prince Edward Island data was suppressed in January 2025).
Year-over-year (February 2025 vs February 2024)
When compared to February 2025, the job vacancy rate in Nova Scotia declined 0.8 percentage points. Nationally, the job vacancy rate declined from 3.7% to 2.9%. All provinces except Prince Edward Island and Manitoba reported lower job vacancy rates compared to one year ago.
When compared to February 2024, the number of job vacancies in Nova Scotia declined 19.3% or by 3,220 vacancies. National job vacancies declined 19.9% or by 131,100 vacant jobs. All provinces except Prince Edward Island and Manitoba reported declines in the number of vacancies over the twelve-month period ending in February. In percentage terms, Saskatchewan declined the most compared to February 2024, while Manitoba saw the largest increase.
Trend
Nationally, job vacancy rates have trended downward after peaking in March-May 2022.
Nova Scotia's job vacancy rate peaked in the spring of 2022 and has also been on a downward trend. The Nova Scotia job vacancy rate has been below the national rate for most of the post-peak period.
Nova Scotia's job vacancies peaked at 22,715 in June 2022 and have been trending down. Job vacancies have declined at a slower pace since the end of 2023.
Canada job vacancy rate and job vacancies by industry, February 2025
Nationally, accommodation/food services, health care/social assistance, and personal/repair services had the highest job vacancy rates. The lowest vacancy rates were in utilities and education. All industry sectors reported lower vacancy rates compared to one year ago, with the exception of public administration reporting no change (information/culture data was suppressed for February 2025).
Health care and social assistance had the highest number of vacancies at 104,930 in February 2025. Compared to February 2024, the number of vacancies declined in every industry except public administration.
Notes: 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.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, data collection was suspended from April to October 2020. There remains a break in this data series.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0432-01 Job vacancies, payroll employees, and job vacancy rate by provinces and territories, monthly, adjusted for seasonality, Table 14-10-0406-01 Job vacancies, payroll employees, and job vacancy rate by industry sector, monthly, adjusted for seasonality
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