Key points 

  • Total Canadian job postings on Indeed were up 64% on February 18, compared to early February 2020, bouncing back after a temporary dip to start the year. 
  • New job postings are being added to Indeed at a rapid pace, up 83% compared to its pre-pandemic rate. 
  • Overall, postings for the vast majority of occupations are substantially higher than their pre-pandemic levels, with higher-paying fields on average standing further above, software development, human resources, and nursing among the standouts. 
  • After rapid growth during the final months of 2021, the share of job postings mentioning vaccine-related requirements has plateaued in recent weeks, currently standing at 11.5% of English-language postings. 

As of February 18, total Canadian job postings on Indeed were up 64% from their February 1, 2020 levels, after adjusting for seasonal trends. Postings have bounced back in recent weeks after dropping off at the start of the year, an often volatile time for job postings. Postings now stand just two percentage points off from where they ended last year, and up a full 16 percentage points since the start of October. 

Line graph titled “Canadian job postings at high levels in mid-February.”
Line graph titled “Canadian job postings at high levels in mid-February.” With a vertical axis ranging from -60% to 80%, Indeed tracked the percent change in total Canada job postings between February 1, 2020 and February 18, 2022. As of February 18, total Canadian job postings on Indeed were up 64% from their February 1, 2020 levels.

The latest upswing in job postings has been driven by a fresh wave of employer demand. As of February 18, the number of new Canadian job postings on Indeed (seven days old or less) was up 83% from its pre-pandemic rate, after adjusting for seasonal trends, its highest rate over the past two years. This momentum suggests that the Canadian labour market’s shift towards a job seekers’ market has continued in early 2022, in spite of the disruption brought by the Omicron-wave in January. On the flip side, hiring doesn’t look like it’ll be getting easier for employers in the near future.

Line graph titled “New job postings being added at a rapid pace.”
Line graph titled “New job postings being added at a rapid pace.” With a vertical axis ranging from -80% to 100%, Indeed tracked the percent change in new Canada job postings between February 1, 2020 and February 18, 2022. As of February 18, new job postings were up 83% compared to the start of February 2020. 

Job postings remain elevated across a wide range of sectors, higher-paying fields up most

Momentum in Canadian job postings was mixed to start the year, with the volatility of hiring appetite concentrated among mid- and lower-paying occupations, similar to early last year. In some cases like food preparation and service, the Omicron wave also likely temporarily hit demand for workers, though postings are now bouncing back. Overall, Canadian job postings are furthest above pre-pandemic levels in higher-paying occupations, up which are up as a group 79% from their pre-pandemic levels, while lower-, and mid-paying areas have both increased by a still strong 59% from where they stood in February 2020.

Line graph titled “Postings for higher-paying jobs up most.”
Line graph titled “Postings for higher-paying jobs up most.” With a vertical axis ranging from -60% to 100%, Indeed tracked the percent change in total Canada job postings with occupations grouped into three different wage tiers, between February 1, 2020 and February 18, 2022. As of February 18, postings were well above pre-pandemic levels across wage tiers, with the largest increase among higher-paying occupations.

Canadian job postings are well above pre-pandemic levels across the vast majority of occupational sectors. Demand is particularly exceptional in some areas, including software development, construction, and nursing. Meanwhile, job postings 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 of workplaces. 

Table titled “Job postings well above pre-pandemic levels in almost sectors.”
Table titled “Job postings well above pre-pandemic levels in almost sectors.” Indeed compared the percent change in total Canadian job postings between February 1, 2020 and February 18, 2022, across various sectors divided into sections “Stronger than average,” “Similar to average.” and “Weaker than average.” Postings in almost all sectors are currently well above where they were in early 2020, including software development, nursing, construction, and human resources. 

Meanwhile, job postings are well above their February 2020 levels similarly to the economy-wide trend across a range of sectors. These include areas like installation and maintenance, driving, legal services, and marketing, among others. Lastly, job postings are above pre-pandemic levels, but not to the same extent in several pandemic-exposed sectors, including food preparation and service, as well as hospitality and tourism. If last year’s developments are any indication, hiring appetite in these areas will likely surge once the public health situation is on a better footing. 

Mentions of vaccine requirements plateau

After rising steadily during the second half of 2021, the share of Canadian job postings mentioning vaccine requirements has stopped rising over the past month. The share of English-language job postings mentioning some form of vaccine-related requirement went from 2.4% at the start of September to 11.5% of postings in mid-January, where it’s remained near since. 

Line graph titled “Vaccine requirement mentions plateau.”
Line graph titled “Vaccine requirement mentions plateau.” With a vertical axis ranging from 0% to 14%, Indeed tracked the share of English-language Canadian job postings mentioning vaccine requirements in their job description, between March 1, 2021 and February 18, 2022. As of February 18, 11.4% of job postings mentioned vaccine-related requirements, relatively unchanged over the prior month.

The share of postings mentioning vaccine requirements varies considerably across fields. In some areas like community and social service, aviation, therapy (which covers both physical and mental health), roughly a quarter of job postings in mid-February included some sort of vaccine requirement. On the flipside, closer to 5% of job postings in retail, food services, and manufacturing included vaccine requirements. Job postings involved with driving also rank at the lower end of the scale, with vaccines mentioned in 5.9% of recent postings.

The pandemic and its economic spillovers continue to change on a daily basis. We’ll be regularly updating this data as conditions evolve.

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.citations.