The quarterly private sector job vacancy rate in Canada held steady at 2.8% in the third quarter of 2025. Vacancy rates were unchanged on a quarterly basis across most provinces and sectors. Year-over-year changes were overall still very modest, all under 1% for every province, sector, or size of business.
Little changes in vacancy rates across provinces
New Brunswick (-0.3), Quebec (-0.2), and British Columbia (-0.2) recorded the largest declines. Prince Edward Island (+0.7), Manitoba (+0.7), and Newfoundland and Labrador (+0.4) experienced the largest year-over-year increases.
Highest vacancy rates in personal services and construction
On a yearly basis, natural resources (-0.7), agriculture (‑0.6), and information, arts, and recreation (-0.3) saw the biggest drops in their vacancy rates. Manufacturing (+0.3), wholesale (+0.3), hospitality (+0.3), and retail (+0.1) were the only sectors reporting increases .
Smaller businesses continue leading in vacancy rate declines
On a yearly basis, businesses with fewer than 20 employees have shown the largest decreases in vacancy rates. However, their rates remain much higher compared to businesses with more than 100 employees.