The number of job vacancies in Canada reached 994,800 in September, up 3.8% from August 2022 (958,500), according to the latest data from Statistics Canada released on Thursday.

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The number of vacancies in September was little changed from September 2021, Statistics Canada said.

The job vacancy rate was 5.7% in September, up from 5.4% in August but down from 5.9% in September 2021.

The number of vacancies in the hospitality sector increased by 12% (+16,400) to 152,400 compared to the previous month, mainly due to seasonal jobs. In construction, too, this figure rose by 14% (+11,500) to 93,900.

Job vacancies in health and social work remained almost unchanged compared to August. A total of 159,000 vacancies remain unfilled in this sector, compared to 152,000 in the previous month.

“Compared to September 2021, the number of vacancies increased by 25.8% (+32,800), which represents the largest 12-month increase in the number of vacancies among all sectors,” emphasized the federal agency.

In September there was an average of 1 unemployed person for every vacancy in Canada, compared to 1.3 in August, reflecting a fall in unemployment (-289,300) in September and a rise in the number of vacancies (+36,300) in the month .

Quebec has one of the highest job vacancy rates in the world

British Columbia (6.5%; 160,000 job vacancies), Quebec (6.2%; 245,900) and Ontario (5.5%; 375,700) are the provinces with the highest job vacancy rates in Canada, as of September 2022.

Statistics Canada also reported that the average weekly wage rose 3.5% year-on-year to $1,175 in September, which is comparable to the increase in August.

New Brunswick (+6.3% to $1,082.99), Quebec (+3.7%; $1,118.25), Ontario (+3.6%; $1,206.70) and Nova Scotia (+3.6 %; $1,020.83) posted the largest 12-month gains in average weekly earnings in September.