Key points 

  • Total Canadian job postings on Indeed were up 65% on July 22, 2022, compared to their pre-pandemic level, down 5% from their high-point in early May.
  • New job postings have cooled from earlier in the year, but continue to be added at a solid pace, suggesting easing of hiring appetite in the face of increased economic uncertainty, rather than an abrupt shift in sentiment. 
  • Postings have slipped across provinces as well as in most sectors, including tech, finance, and human resources, while a few fields like nursing and customer service have held steadier. 

As of July 22nd, total Canadian job postings on Indeed were up 65% from their February 1, 2020 levels, after adjusting for seasonal trends. Postings have slipped 5% from their early-May peak, including over the past month, though the decline has been fairly gradual, keeping the overall level elevated.

Line graph titled “Canadian job postings easing from elevated levels.”
Line graph titled “Canadian job postings easing from elevated levels.” With a vertical axis ranging from -60% to 80%, Indeed tracked the percent change in total Canadian job postings between February 1, 2020 and July 22, 2022. As of July 22, total Canadian job postings on Indeed were up 65% from their February 1, 2020 levels.

The softening in total postings partly reflects new postings being added at a cooler pace. The number of new Canadian job postings on Indeed (seven days old or less) on July 22nd was up 53% from their pre-pandemic rate, down even more from May levels than total postings. However, despite the downshift, new postings continue to be added similarly to their strong pace during the fourth quarter of 2021. As a result, while the boom is fading, overall hiring appetite hasn’t shown an abrupt shift in sentiment.  

Line graph titled “New job postings have softened.”
Line graph titled “New job postings have softened.” With a vertical axis ranging from -80% to 100%, Indeed tracked the percent change in new Canadian job postings between February 1, 2020 and July 22, 2022. As of July 22, new job postings were up 53% compared to the start of February 2020. 

Postings down from early May in all provinces

The modest dip in job postings at the national level also shows up across provinces, with all regions except for P.E.I. dipping by between 2%-8% since the start of May. Postings in the Prairies and Atlantic Canada remain further above their pre-pandemic levels than Quebec and B.C., likely reflecting the fact that these latter provinces entered the crisis with already elevated job vacancy rates.

Table titled “Job postings elevated but cooling across provinces.”
​​Table titled “Job postings elevated but cooling across provinces.” Indeed compared the change in Canada job postings between February 1, 2020 and July 22, 2022, across all provinces. Job postings are well above their pre-pandemic levels in all provinces, but have softened since May 1, 2022. 

High paying white collar fields like tech starting to ease

Job postings remain elevated, but have cooled across a majority of Canadian sectors in recent weeks. Some areas to ease of late have been in higher-paying white collar fields, like software development, as well as business and finance, coming down from extremely high levels. For instance, postings in software development were still double their pre-pandemic level on July 22nd, but down from a 126% increase in mid-May. Human resources job postings have also slipped from earlier heights, consistent with a broader softening of employer hiring appetite. 

Line graph titled “White-collar services have slipped in recent weeks.”
Line graph titled “White-collar services have slipped in recent weeks.” With a vertical axis ranging from -75% to 125%, Indeed tracked the percent change in total Canada job postings between February 1, 2020 and July 22, 2022, for job postings in software development, human resources, and banking and finance. As of July 22, job postings were far above their pre-pandemic levels in all three categories, but had cooled since May.

Goods producing sectors also down, but the pace of their decline slows

Job postings in goods producing sectors like construction, production and manufacturing, and installation and maintenance have also retreated from early May. That said, after falling faster than the rest of the economy through mid-June, the pace of decline in these fields has eased more recently. Given the historic cyclicality of these industries, it will be important to monitor for signs of further weakness, but so far postings remain elevated. 

Line graph titled “Decline in goods-producing sectors has flattened.”
Line graph titled “Decline in goods-producing sectors has flattened.” With a vertical axis ranging from -75% to 125%, Indeed tracked the percent change in total Canada job postings between February 1, 2020 and July 22, 2022, as well as for job postings in construction, production and manufacturing, and installation and maintenance. As of July 22, job postings were well above their pre-pandemic levels in all three sectors, but were down from May levels. 

Nursing and customer service holding steadier

Finally, while postings are down somewhat among most job types, there are some areas where demand has been fairly stable. For instance, nursing, which saw postings cool earlier in the year has been flat over the past two months, while administrative assistance and customer service have also held steady. In some cases, like health care, demand for workers is likely less sensitive than elsewhere to the ups and downs of the business cycle. Meanwhile in others like customer service and hospitality, the need for workers in the near-term might be outweighing the drag from heighted economic uncertainty on hiring appetite.

Line graph titled “Demand steadier in health care and certain services.”
Line graph titled “Demand steadier in health care and certain services.” With a vertical axis ranging from -75% to 105%, Indeed tracked the percent change in total Canada job postings between February 1, 2020 and July 22, 2022, as well as for job postings in nursing, administrative assistance, and customer service. As of July 22, job postings were well above their pre-pandemic levels in all three sectors, remaining steady in recent weeks.

Methodology

All job postings figures in this blogpost 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. New job postings are posts that are 7-days old or less. 

The number of job postings on Indeed, 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.