Number of vacant positions is dropping in the Capitale-Nationale and continues to rise in Chaudière-Appalaches

Highlights

1. In the third quarter of 2022, there were 27,710 vacant positions in the Capitale-Nationale (CN) region and 12,375 in the Chaudière-Appalaches (CA) region. Compared to data from the same quarter in 2021 (28,380 in CN and 9,940 in CA), this represents a 2.4% drop in the Capitale-Nationale and a 24.5% increase in Chaudière-Appalaches.
   
   
2. This is the first time that the number of vacant positions dropped during the third quarter in the Capitale-Nationale since 2015, when this data first started being compiled. Despite this, the job vacancy rate of 7% in the Capitale-Nationale remains higher than the averages in the province of Quebec (6.1%) and Canada (5.6%).
   
   
3. In the Chaudière-Appalaches region, the job vacancy rate was also higher than the Canadian average but was equal to the Quebec average (6.1%).  
   
   
4. Compared to the same quarter of the previous year (Q3-2021), the average hourly wage increased 13% in Chaudière-Appalaches ($22.55) and 8% in the Capitale-Nationale ($23.90). The average hourly wages offered in the province of Quebec and Canada in the third quarter this year were $23.70 and $24.20, respectively.
   
   
5. Workers in the “Sales and service occupations” and “Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations” categories were among the most in-demand in both regions.

Charts

Commentary

The new estimations from Statistics Canada’s Job Vacancy and Wage Survey (JVWS) reflect the labour market situation during the third quarter of 2022 as the region was returning to normal with the lifting of the last public health measures related to COVID-19, like the end of the mask mandate in June.

Data shows that the number of vacant positions dropped for the first time during the third quarter in the Capitale-Nationale region since 2015, when this data started being compiled. In the Chaudière-Appalaches region, the number of vacancies continued to grow and the average hourly wage registered its highest jump. The labour market remains dynamic in both regions, with the total labour demand (number of vacant positions + number of payroll employees) increasing 7.2% in Chaudière-Appalaches and 2.7% in the Capitale-Nationale.

Most in-demand occupations in both administrative regions

The latest data from the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey (JVWS) shows that labour scarcity is still a current issue and that the labour market remains dynamic. Despite a relative drop in the number of vacant positions in the Capitale-Nationale region, the job vacancy rate remains very high in both regions (Capitale-Nationale and Chaudière-Appalaches) compared to the averages for Canada (5.6%) and the province of Québec (6.1%). Furthermore, it is worth noting that the total labour demand continued to grow, as shown by the significant increase in the number of payroll employees (366,570, up from 355,645 during the same quarter in 2021).

Elhadji Nimaga

Économiste 

Québec International

Note to readers

1 The job vacancy rate is the number of job vacancies expressed as a percentage of labour demand, i.e. all occupied and vacant jobs.

2 JVWS data is not seasonally adjusted. Some caution is advised in interpreting the comparisons from one quarter to another, as these may reflect seasonal changes.

3 The survey’s target population includes all commercial locations in Canada, except those whose primary activity concerns the sectors of religious organizations and private households. Federal, provincial and territorial administrations are also excluded from the survey. 

4 To learn more about the National Occupational Classification (NOC) minor groups presented above, please visit the Government of Canada’s website.

5 Note that data by trade is provided for information purposes only and must be considered with caution due to the sample size.