National job vacancy rate unchanged in Q3, says CFIB

Toronto – Canada’s national job vacancy rate held steady in the third quarter, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business’s latest Help Wanted report.

Approximately 326, 600 full-time, part-time and temporary positions remain unfilled across the country due to a lack of qualified candidates, accounting for 2.6 per cent of positions.

“While the national rate has held steady, it is masking some counteracting regional developments,” said Ted Mallet, CFIB chief economist and vice-president, in a news release. “The weakening labour markets in Saskatchewan and Alberta have seen their vacancy rates drop dramatically, but we’re seeing a significant rise in rates in British Columbia and Prince Edward Island, as well as a modest increase in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.”

Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba saw little change from last quarter.

British Columbia now has the highest vacancy rate in the country at 3.0 per cent, representing 48,700 positions. Nova Scotia has the lowest at 2.2 per cent, representing 6,600 positions.

Service sector vacancy rates have risen modestly, while goods producers have seen a decline. Vacancy rates are more than double in micro businesses (one to four employees) than in large enterprises (500 or more employees).

The survey also shows a continuing clear relationship between job vacancies and wages. Businesses with vacancies reported planned average organization-wide wage increases of 1.8 per cent in Q3 2015, while those fully staffed reported a half-point less at 1.3 per cent.

See the CFIB’s detailed breakdowns by size of business, province and by industry.