Over 500,000 jobs were left vacant all over Canada in the first 3 months of 2019

The first three months of 2019 saw Canada suffering from a job vacancy crisis yet again. The number of vacancies rose as compared to this same time period back in 2018. Six provinces and the territory named Nunavut reported this rise in the number of vacant positions. The number of job vacancies reached 506,000 in the first quarter of 2019. This marked an increase of 44,000 since 2018.

As a result, 2019 became the tenth consecutive quarter to record a year-over-year rise in the number of job vacancies and also the job vacancy rate. According to Statistics Canada, almost 80 percent of the vacancies are for permanent positions.

This is slightly alarming for Canada considering their very high standards of work efficiency. Employers all over Canada are being unable to find appropriate workers to fill the opening. This labor shortage can be attributed to the country’s aging population. A large number of Canadians are reaching their retirement age with each passing day creating a vacuum in the workspace.

In response to this unfortunate condition, the federal government has decided to increase the immigration levels in the country. The new targets are expected to be met over the next three years.

The majority of newcomers will be invited through the economic-class immigration programs. There are a large number of vacancies to be filled in the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia. Quebec witnessed the highest year-over-year rise in job vacancies in the first three months of this year in Canada. It rose by 23 percent. According to Statistics Canada, almost half of this increase was spread over the industries of health care and social assistance, and food services, among others. Ontario witnessed the second-highest year-over-year rise in job vacancies.