Q1 2026 Update
Job vacancy rate unchanged at 2.8%
No quarterly or yearly change in the rate
This translates into 391,300 vacant positions across Canada.
Job vacancy rates unchanged for five consecutive quarters
The private sector job vacancy rate in Canada remained unchanged at 2.8% in 2026 Q1, marking the fifth consecutive quarter at this level. Vacancy rates showed little to no change quarter-over-quarter across most provinces and sectors. Year-over-year variations were minimal—under 0.5% for all provinces, sectors, and business sizes, except for businesses employing 5 to 19 workers (-0.7).
Limited changes in vacancy rates across provinces
Most provinces recorded slight year-over-year declines in vacancy rates. Saskatchewan (+0.3), Quebec (+0.2), New Brunswick (+0.1), and Newfoundland and Labrador (+0.1) were the only provinces to post increases, and these gains remained modest.
Little changes in vacancy rates across sectors
Mirroring provincial trends, most industries experienced year-over-year stagnation or decline in vacancy rates. Only information, arts and recreation (+0.5), retail (+0.3), finance, insurance, and real estate (+0.1), and transportation (+0.1) registered annual increases.
Smaller businesses continue to report higher vacancy rates
On a yearly basis, businesses with 49 employees or less saw slight declines in vacancy rates, while those with 50 employees or more recorded small increases .