Regina, August 8, 2019 – Canada’s private sector job vacancy rate maintained its record high of 3.2 per cent for the fourth quarter in a row, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)’s latest Help Wanted report. In total, 429,000 private sector jobs—23,000 more than in the second quarter of 2018—went unfilled for at least four months in the second quarter of 2019.In Saskatchewan, the private sector job vacancy rate decreased slightly to 2.1 per cent, representing 7,400 unfilled jobs.“Job vacancy rates advanced in five provinces and remained stable or declined slightly in the other five last quarter, although Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario continue to drive the trend. We’re also seeing a strong pressure to increase wages in those firms that had vacant positions,” said Ted Mallett, CFIB’s Vice-President and Chief Economist. “While this rate of job vacancies can be a sign of a growing economy, we don’t want labour shortages to become an obstacle to business success. CFIB is asking all parties to commit to measures tackling the labour shortage in the upcoming federal election.”Employers with at least one vacancy expected to push average organization-wide wage levels up by 2.3 per cent compared to the 1.5 per cent gain planned by businesses without any job openings. Firms with fewer than five employees were the hardest hit, reaching a job vacancy rate of 5.4 per cent.Job vacancies by provinceQuebec and British Columbia were tied for the tightest labour markets, with 3.9 per cent vacancy rates. Ontario’s vacancy rate dropped but remained above the national average at 3.2 per cent. New Brunswick (3.1 per cent), Manitoba (2.6 per cent), Prince Edward Island (2.2 per cent) and Newfoundland & Labrador (2.0 per cent) saw their vacancy rates rise, but remained below the national average. Nova Scotia’s vacancy rate remained stable at 2.3 per cent, while rates in Saskatchewan (2.1 per cent) and Alberta (1.9 per cent) dropped.
