Canada Reports 957,500 Job Vacancies in Q1 2022

Job vacancies in Canada continue to increase during the first quarter of 2022, leading to a high demand for labour as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Statistics Canada reports an increase in the job vacancies to 957,500 jobs in the Canadian labour market in the first quarter of 2022. This is the highest quarterly number on record. Employers in Canada continue to face the challenges of an increasingly tight labour market. 

The health care and social assistance sector in Canada, coming into sharp focus during the COVID-19 pandemic, continued to have a high job vacancy rate in Q1 of 2022 as well. The number of job vacancies in Canada in the health care and social assistance sector reached a new record high of 136,800. 

Most noteworthy were the increases in vacant positions in the following health occupations, with job code as per Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) - 

• NOC 3413: Aides, orderlies, and patient service associates - 21,900, up by 84.2%;
• NOC 3012: Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses - 22,900, up by 77.8%;
• NOC 3233: Licensed practical nurses - 11,300, up by 166%. 

Job vacancies in Canada in the first quarter of 2022 in NOC 3413, NOC 3012, and NOC 3233 accounted for 67.7% of the overall vacancies in health occupations. 

87,400 job vacancies were reported in the manufacturing sector in the first quarter. In the retail trade sector during the same period, the number of job vacancies were reported to be 114,600. 

Employers in the professional, scientific and technical services sector had an overall 68,800 vacant positions in the first quarter. Job vacancies in Canada for computer and information systems professionals rose 68.3% in the first quarter of 2020. 

Employers in Canada are dealing with rising job vacancies on one hand and a dwindling supply of potential workers on the other. Recent results from the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions (January 4 to February 2022) indicate that recruiting skilled employees was expected to be an obstacle for 38.5% businesses in Canada. 

The employment rate in Canada continues to trend higher than in the neighbouring United States. As per the Labour Force Survey (LFS), May 2022, “adjusted to US concepts, the employment rate was 62.4% in Canada and 60.1% in the United States in May”. The LFS estimates for May are for the week of May 15 to 21, 2022. LFS estimates, released by Statistics Canada, do not include the territories in Canada. 

With a processing standard of six months, Express Entry remains the most sought-after route to Canadian permanent residence for skilled foreign workers. Other routes to Canada PR visa include - the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) etc. 

The right guidance can help you review the different Canadian immigration pathways available, selecting the best possible Canadian PR route for yourself. 

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