Job vacancies held steady at 510,200 in the second quarter, following an increase of 13,300 (+2.7%) in the previous quarter. Job vacancies increased by 3,600 (+2.8%) for part-time jobs but were little changed for full-time jobs, and for permanent and temporary positions, according to a recent Statistics Canada report.
Year over year, overall job vacancies were also little changed in the second quarter. Vacancies rose for temporary positions by 4,000 (+4.4%) while vacancies for permanent, full-time and part-time jobs were little changed, noted the report.
"Total labour demand (the sum of filled and vacant positions) rose by 58,100 (+0.3%) in the second quarter, due to an increase in payroll employment (+55,600; +0.3%). On a year-over-year basis, total labour demand was up by 181,100 (+1.0%), also due to an increase in payroll employment (+178,000; +1.0%)," it said.
The job vacancy rate—which corresponds to the number of vacant positions as a proportion of total labour demand—held steady in the second quarter at 2.8%, unchanged from the previous quarter and from the second quarter of 2025.
There were 3.0 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in the second quarter of 2026, unchanged from the previous quarter and down slightly from 3.1 in the second quarter of 2025, added Statistics Canada.
"The proportion of long-term vacancies—vacancies for which recruitment efforts have been ongoing for 90 days or more—was 25.9% in the second quarter, down 2.1 percentage points from the first quarter of 2026 (28.0%). This suggests that employers have had fewer difficulties filling available positions compared with a year earlier. In comparison, the proportion of long-term vacancies reached a peak of 39.5% in the fourth quarter of 2022 (not seasonally adjusted)," it said.
In the second quarter, job vacancies decreased in education, law and social, community and government services (-2,000; -4.6%) and in natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations (-1,300; -10.4%). Conversely, there were more job vacancies in natural and applied sciences and related occupations (+1,800; +4.5%). Vacancies in the other broad occupational groups were little changed in the second quarter, explained Statistics Canada.
On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were down in 4 of the 10 broad occupational groups in the second quarter, led by occupations in education, law and social, community and government services (-6,500; -13.3%) and health occupations (-5,500; -7.9%), it said.
"Conversely, job vacancies were up in four broad occupational groups on a year-over-year basis in the second quarter, led by trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (+7,100; +7.7%), sales and service occupations (+4,000; +2.6%) and occupations in manufacturing and utilities (+3,200; +19.2%). Year over year, job vacancies were little changed in legislative and senior management occupations, as well as in business, finance and administration occupations."