COVID 19 – the pandemic that began in China in 2019 and affected the whole world; strong countries were not spared. It swept the world’s economy with dramatic lockdowns that had to take place; businesses shut, citizens locked indoors in desperation to stop the spread of the virus and save lives, more than anything else. And Canada, as with the rest of the world, was hit hard too. The question now; how is the Canadian job market after covid 19?
Let us take a look at how is Canada’s job market now, after the last two years of going through the impacts of the pandemic. What jobs are in demand after covid 19 in Canada, and how is the future of the country’s job market?
Table of Contents
Canada's Current Job Market 2022
The Canadian labor market is still a long way from returning to its pre-pandemic state, but its labor force survey recently shows more positive feedback than expected. Canada jobs lost during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic are coming back; although, it’s not all at once.
Canada’s Job Market in 2020 and 2021
According to Canada’s statistics, there were almost a million jobs added in Canada in June 2020, as its public health restrictions had relaxed in most parts of the country. There was still a lot of job hiring amidst the gloom brought by the pandemic to Canada for the first few months of the pandemic. In February 2021, Canada added 259,000 jobs; but it still got fewer than 599,000 workers compared to the year 2020.
Canada’s unemployment rate dropped from 9.4 percent to 8.2 percent. It is the lowest unemployment since the pandemic declaration in March 2020. Those working at office locations rather than home have also increased by 600,000 as workplaces and schools reopened in many provinces.
The scenario of the Canadian job market after Covid 19 shows that businesses are struggling to find workers. Thus, employers have been offering more incentives such as higher wages, bonuses, and flexible hours, to attract workers.
What Jobs Are in Demand After Covid 19
Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate Sectors
According to Statistics Canada, during the second quarter of 2021, there were 731,900 job vacancies across all Canadian provinces, especially in Quebec, Ontario, and B.C. Thirty percent of Canadian businesses are reporting labor shortages. The finance, insurance, and real estate sectors have seen “substantial job growth” throughout the pandemic because they have been able to shift to a work-from-home model.
Health Care Sector
The Canadian Statistics added that the health care sector has the largest need of workers in the country currently. Job vacancies in this sector increased by more than forty thousand from the second quarter of 2019 to the second quarter of 2021. Job vacancies for registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses had the largest increase among all healthcare occupations since 2019.
Retail Salespersons, Store Shelf Stockers, Clerks, Order Filers, and Truck Drivers
More than 65 thousand job vacancies in the manufacturing sector came in the second quarter of 2021. It is the highest number of job vacancies for this sector since 2015. Job vacancies in retail trade also increased to 84,300 in the second quarter of 2021; retail salespersons, store shelf stockers, clerks, and order filers were among the largest increase in vacancies. There is also an average of 18,000 truck driver vacancies in the trucking and logistics sector in the second quarter of 2021.
Impact of Covid 19 on Foreign Workers
Canada’s processing for a work permit application has changed due to Covid 19.
🛫 Foreign workers: Travel restrictions and exemptions
You can enter Canada as a foreign worker if:
- you qualify as a fully vaccinated traveler or
- you are coming for a non-optional purpose
Workers who need a work permit and are not fully vaccinated
Must check if they qualify as a traveler who can enter unvaccinated, or you must:
- show that your travel is non-optional
- follow the mandated COVID-19 travel requirements for testing and quarantine
Workers who do not need a work permit and are not fully vaccinated
If you do not need a work permit and do not qualify as a fully vaccinated traveler, you may be able to enter Canada depending on:
- where you are traveling from and
- what work will you be doing in Canada
You may check further details on foreign workers’ travel restrictions and exemptions at the official Canadian immigration website.
💼 Canadian Job Market After Covid 19: The Future
Based on the data collected by the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions, more than eight percent of businesses are expected to have more job vacancies for the next three months.
Job vacancies are up in all provinces.
From the second quarter of 2019 to the second quarter of 2021, job vacancies in Canada continuously increased in all provinces. The most significant number of jobs increases are in Quebec and Ontario. In the second quarter of 2021, British Columbia got the highest job vacancy rate.
The average hourly wage offers hiking up.
The average hourly wage offer has been hiking up in all provinces in Canada (except for Newfoundland and Labrador and Alberta). British Columbia has the highest hourly average wage offering (+$2.40 to $24.00) among the provinces, while Prince Edward Island (+$3.40 to $18.55), closely comes next.
Canada is optimistic that if the vaccination rollout continues to be successful, the Canadian job market after covid 19 will successfully bounce back, and the country’s economy will be back at 85 percent normal by September of 2022.
Share this article: