Key points
- Total Canadian job postings on Indeed were up 61% on December 3, compared to early February 2020, up from a 59% increase two weeks prior.
- The rise in job postings has been broad-based across both provinces and occupations of different wage levels.
- Fields like software development, loading and stocking, construction, and human resources are among areas where postings stand even further above their pre-pandemic levels than the economy-wide trend, while aviation stands out as an area that still hasn’t fully recovered from early-pandemic drop.
As of December 3, total Canadian job postings on Indeed were up 61% from their February 1, 2020 levels, after adjusting for seasonal trends. November was another strong month for postings, after entering the month up 53% from their pre-pandemic level. While hiring appetite on a non-seasonally adjusted basis tends to fall as the fourth quarter proceeds, demand has held fairly steady as we approach the end of the year.
Helping to keep the overall level of Canadian job postings elevated has been the continued solid rate that new job postings are being added to Indeed (see methodology). Since the start of November, the number of job postings seven days old or less on Indeed has been on average 54% above where it stood on February 1, 2020, after adjusting for seasonal trends. This strong pace suggests job opportunities will remain plentiful heading into the new year, hopefully providing an auspicious environment for job seekers looking for new opportunities. Were new postings to start substantially lagging the trend in overall postings, it could be a sign that employer hiring difficulties are getting more acute.
Demand elevated across provinces
Job postings are well above pre-pandemic levels across Canada, the variation instead being just by magnitude. Postings are furthest above their pre-pandemic levels in Atlantic Canada, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, perhaps partly because job vacancy rates in these provinces were generally a bit below the national average prior to the crisis. Conversely, postings aren’t above their pre-pandemic level by as much in B.C., where vacancy rates were already quite elevated in early 2020.
Job postings strong across a wide range of wage levels and sectors
The increase in Canadian job postings has also been broad-based across pay levels. Dividing occupational sectors into three tiers, postings are well above pre-pandemic levels across the board, with mid-paying areas lagging behind modestly. Overall, on December 3rd, postings for high-paying job types were up 71% from February 1, 2020 on a seasonally adjusted basis, while lower and mid-paying fields were up 66% and 54% respectively.
The breadth of the job postings rebound is evident in the wide range of sectors where job postings have substantially exceeded economy-wide growth. Postings in software development, and loading and stocking are both now double pre-pandemic levels, while demand in construction isn’t far behind. Opportunities in human resources are up by even more, as employers look for workers to both facilitate the hiring process, and navigate questions around the reopening for workplaces.
Meanwhile, job postings are above their February 2020 levels similarly to the economy-wide trend across a range of sectors. These include areas like driving, accounting, administrative assistance, and installation and maintenance. Lastly, job postings have recovered, but aren’t as elevated in a range of pandemic exposed sectors like sports, as well as beauty and wellness, while aviation continues to lag the rest of the economy, with postings below pre-pandemic levels, despite some progress in recent months.
This is our last job posting tracker of 2021. We will restart regularly updating this data in the new year.
Methodology
All non-vaccine related figures in this blog post are the percentage change in seasonally-adjusted job postings since February 1, 2020, using a seven-day trailing average. February 1, 2020, is our pre-pandemic baseline. We seasonally adjust each series based on historical patterns in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Each series, including the national trend, occupational sectors, and sub-national geographies, is seasonally adjusted separately. This week we applied our quarterly revision, which updates seasonal factors and fixes data anomalies. Historical numbers have been revised and may differ from originally reported values.
The number of job postings on Indeed.com, whether related to paid or unpaid job solicitations, is not indicative of potential revenue or earnings of Indeed, which comprises a significant percentage of the HR Technology segment of its parent company, Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd. Job posting numbers are provided for information purposes only and should not be viewed as an indicator of performance of Indeed or Recruit. Please refer to the Recruit Holdings investor relations website and regulatory filings in Japan for more detailed information on revenue generation by Recruit’s HR Technology segment.