This post is updated as of June 30, reflecting data through June 26. We will be regularly updating this data as we track how COVID-19 impacts the global labour market.
Key points:
- As of June 26th, the trend in total job postings on Indeed Canada stood at 36% below last year’s pace, continuing their gradual, but incomplete rebound. Total posting trends remain further from 2019 levels in larger provinces.
- The gap in new postings narrowed further, to 19% below 2019’s path, from 24% a week earlier, a sign of ongoing momentum.
- Postings for retail-related roles, as well as positions in face-to-face services like dental care as well as beauty and wellness, have picked up, after dropping earlier in the crisis. Meanwhile, posting trends are faring relatively poorly in white-collar sectors like legal services and marketing, as well as in tourism and hospitality, and aviation.
Total job postings on Indeed Canada continued to rise last week, as of Friday, June 26th, standing 36% below last year’s trend. The gap was 38% the previous Friday, and 49% in early May. Overall hiring appetite remains subdued compared to last year, but it’s gradually recovering.
Pushing the total posting trend higher was continued momentum in new job postings, that have been on Indeed a week or less. The trend in new postings rose to 19% below last year’s level, up from -24% the week prior. The gap is now 34 percentage points narrower than it was on May 8th. The pace that new job postings are being added is currently more than enough to drive total job postings higher, improving the outlook for Canadian job seekers.
Gaps in total postings narrower in smaller provinces
In recent weeks we’ve highlighted the improvement in new postings across provinces, with signs of momentum evident across the country. At the same time, trends in total job postings, which signify where opportunities are for job seekers today, still have further to go.
The gap in total postings compared to last year’s trend has narrowed to at least some degree across the country. Current shortfalls are somewhat milder in smaller provinces, with Saskatchewan standing closest to last year’s trend. Meanwhile, larger provinces have gaps closer to the Canada average. While Quebec is furthest from last year’s path, this primarily reflects a stronger 2019, rather than weaker momentum than elsewhere.
Prospects brighter for those seeking jobs in healthcare, construction, and warehousing
With the overall trend in job posting still down 36% from last year’s level, job posting trends remain relatively subdued across the economy. However some sectors are faring better than others. Throughout the crisis, job postings have held up relatively well in several areas of the healthcare field, including nursing and personal care and home health, which includes personal support workers.
However the rebound in total posting trend has also brought back opportunities elsewhere. One area where postings have been bouncing back is in retail-related roles, within the retail sector itself, as well as in loading and stocking, which includes both warehouse workers and stockers. In addition, postings in certain personal services like the dental sector, which includes dentists, as well as dental hygienists and assistants, and beauty and wellness, which includes massage therapists and hair stylists, have both increased sharply in recent weeks.
A wide range of sectors fall in the middle of the pack, with total posting trends compared to last year resembling the overall average. Included in this group are cleaning and sanitation, installation and maintenance, as well as both community and social service, which include social workers, and education and instruction.
Lastly, hiring appetite remains quite soft across several areas of the economy. Some are white collar sectors, like legal services, as well as marketing, while others are sectors that face particular challenges in a time of social distancing, like hospitality and tourism, and aviation.
The public health situation and its economic spillovers continue to change on a daily basis. We’ll be regularly updating this data as conditions evolve.
Methodology
To measure the trends in job postings, we calculated the 7-day moving average of the number of job postings on Indeed Canada. We index each day’s 7-day moving average to the start of February (Feb 1, 2020 = 100 for 2020 data, and so on).
We report how the trend in job postings this year differs from last year, in order to focus on the recent changes in labor market conditions due to COVID-19. For example: if job postings increased 30% from February 1, 2019, to April 10, 2019, but only 20% from February 1, 2020, to April 10, 2020, then the index would have risen from 100 to 130 in 2019 and 100 to 120 in 2020. The year-to-date trend in job postings would therefore be down 7.7% on April 10 (120 is 7.7% below 130) in 2020 relative to 2019.
For new postings, we calculate a similar metric but the underlying measure is the number of postings that have been on Indeed for seven days or less.
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.
