Third-quarter of 2021: Canada's employment openings hit an all-time high

Job openings at an all-time high have corresponded with increased total employment and decreased unemployment. According to a recent study made by Statistics Canada, Canada recorded an all-time high of 912,600 job openings in the third quarter of 2021.

This occurred when Canada's economy continued to improve due to the influx of qualified and talented immigrants, and public health regulations were relaxed. These trends were a direct result of positive Canadian immigration policies. As a result, the record-high number of job openings resulted from increased total employment and decreased unemployment.

According to Statistics Canada, the 912,600 job openings in Q3 2021 were 62.1 percent greater (349,700 more positions) than in Q3 2019. Saskatchewan saw the greatest growth in employment openings, followed by Quebec and Ontario.

Between the third quarter of 2019 and the third quarter of 2021, job openings grew in 18 of the 20 major industrial sectors. Accommodation and food services, health care and social support, construction, retail commerce, and manufacturing contributed to about 68% of the increase.

Get a Free Express Entry Assessment

The healthcare and social assistance sectors are under substantial labour-force strain. There were 118,200 openings in the third quarter of 2021, and payroll employment approached pre-COVID levels in December 2020, indicating that the industry is encountering issues in terms of unmet labour demand. Because of Canada's elderly population, there was an increasing demand for personnel in this field even before the epidemic. Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (22,800) and nursing aides, orderlies, and patient service associates (24,100) were among the occupations with the biggest openings in Q3 2021.

Over the last two years, accommodation and food services accounted for over a quarter of the growth in total employment opportunities. According to Statistics Canada, the increased number of job openings was likely attributable to staffing problems associated with firms reopening in the sector throughout the summer. As a result, the sector typically had greater labour demand over the summer.

Offering greater salaries is one approach for firms to fill employment openings. According to Statistics Canada, the record-high number of job openings has focused attention on the extent to which labour shortages may contribute to pay inflation. As a result, the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is used to gauge inflation in Canada, grew by 4.3% between Q3 2019 and Q3 2021. Not only the Federal policies of the Canadian government but the provincial nominee programs also contributed to this growth immensely.

Wage growth outpaced CPI increase in 155 of the 373 occupations with wage data available during the comparable period. Construction trades assistance and labourers, cooks, retail salespersons, and nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service employees had the greatest increases in job openings. The average offered salary for these jobs rose by 9.7%, while the average hourly wage for all employees in these occupations grew by 8.4%.

Statistics Canada finished the research by noting that Canada's labour market conditions would continue to improve until the end of the third quarter of 2021. For example, the unemployment rate was 6.0 percent, which was 0.3 percentage points higher than the pre-COVID February 2020 figure of 5.7 percent.

On the other hand, it is worth noting that COVID instances are rising in Canada, with the Omicron variation becoming increasingly common. As a result, more public safety measures are being implemented, influencing Canada's employment picture in future Statistics Canada studies.