Canada posted an all-time high of 1,037,900 vacant jobs in June, marking the third straight month of over one million open positions, according to Statistics Canada.

Here’s a breakdown of the sectors with the highest number of open positions.

HEALTH CARE AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE

Employers in the health care and social assistance sector had 149,700 vacant positions in June, 40.8 per cent higher from the same time a year ago.

Brendon Bernard, senior economist at job listings site Indeed.com, said hiring challenges in health care aren’t exactly new, as the sector struggles to keep up with growing demand as the population ages.

Bernard also said the health care sector will need to hire more workers in order to manage burnout.

“High levels of burnout have the potential to require more health care staffing to handle the same amount of demand,” Bernard said in a phone interview Thursday.

“I think that it’s been really trying for healthcare workers and it’s a very difficult job in normal times, but the pandemic has made it even harder. I think we’ll see more burnout in health care and social assistance sectors in the months to come.”

ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD SERVICES

The accommodation and food services sector were seeking to fill 171,700 positions in June.

Bernard said “job seekers aren’t as interested in this sector as they used to be” despite growing demand from consumers to dine out again now that pandemic-related restrictions have eased.

Earlier this year, Statistics Canada reported restaurant and bar sales in March surpassed pre-COVID levels for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

Sales were up 35 per cent compared to a year ago and 4.9 per cent higher than March 2019.

Bernard said factors like lockdown uncertainty and openings in higher-paying sectors have pulled talent elsewhere.

RETAIL TRADE 

In June, businesses in the retail trade sector were trying to find workers for 114,400 open positions.

“I think the high number of retail job vacancies that we see here are just kind of emblematic of the strong levels of hiring appetite throughout the country,” Bernard said.

“I wouldn't say there's anything particularly special going on there that isn't happening in many other sectors of the economy. It’s more of a reflection of the huge size of the retail trade sector.”

JOB SEEKERS’ MARKET

As demand for employees remains elevated, Bernard said now is the time for workers to move up the job ladder.

“This is a tight labour market, where opportunities for work are plentiful,” he said.

“This means people could find something new if they would prefer a different employer or move up the job ladder with their current company in this environment.”