Job-listing data show Canada’s labour market continues to recover with most businesses across Canada now allowed to reopen after the country brought the COVID-19 outbreak under control in recent weeks.
Indeed Canada, a jobs website, reported total postings last week were down 30 per cent from a year ago, an improvement from a 31-per-cent decline a week earlier. It’s the smallest gap in year-over-year levels since the first weeks of the crisis. New postings were down 13 per cent from a year ago, an improvement from 17 per cent a week earlier.
“All eyes are peeled for signs of a plateau in the recovery,” Brendon Bernard, economist at Indeed Canada, said in an email. But “the trend in total job postings suggests that at least when it comes to employer interest in making external hires, the rebound continues.”
While there has been a small uptick in recent days, Canada has been averaging daily cases below 500.
Nearly all provinces except Quebec are seeing strength in new job openings, Indeed Canada data show.
Lower and middle-waged jobs — which were eliminated first under pandemic-induced shutdowns — have seen the quickest rebound. Postings for driving and administrative assistance positions are up nearly 25 per cent from early May. Construction, loading and stocking positions have jumped nearly 35 per cent for the same period.
Sports and hospitality positions, meanwhile, have recovered at a much slower pace. Aviation jobs have seen no change in postings since early May, reflecting continued weakness in the industry.
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