Employers are showing more hiring appetite after Canada’s most populous province moved to the next stage of its economic reopening.

New job posting data on Indeed Canada re-accelerated last week after slowing in the beginning of month. New postings were down 17 per cent from a year ago, an improvement from a 23 per cent decline a week earlier. It’s the smallest gap in year-over-year levels since March.

“While no provinces have fully closed the gap in total postings compared to last year’s trend, progress has been made across the country,” Brendon Bernard, economist at Indeed Canada, said in a report. “As has been the case throughout the pandemic, job posting trends are closer to 2019 levels in smaller provinces than larger ones, generally consistent with employment changes since February.”

The data come after Ontario announced most of the province can move into the third phase of reopening, allowing indoor dining, gyms and nearly all businesses to resume services.

While job opportunities have improved in nearly all sectors, hiring has been particularly strong in construction and retail. Sectors that have been hit harder by the pandemic like sports-related activities and food preparation still have a wider gap in job postings than the overall average, according to the data.