Canadian job vacancies fell to a near 8-year low amid hiring freezes
Global News
Job vacancies in Canada fell to the lowest level in close to eight years, according to Statistics Canada, as businesses slow or halt hiring plans amid the trade war.
The Canadian job market showed more signs that it may be cooling off as companies slow or freeze hiring plans, with Statistics Canada reporting that job vacancies are at the lowest point in almost eight years.
That comes as the Canadian job market continues to adapt to a rapidly changing landscape, as the trade war and U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies force some businesses to pivot in order to help minimize the impacts, including higher costs.
Companies are mostly focused on maintaining their current business operations rather than setting long-term goals to expand due to the “uncertainty” echoed by many economists and policymakers surrounding international trade — including a pending deal between Canada and the U.S.
“If you’re an organization and you don’t have clarity on what your business is going to look like tomorrow or next month or next quarter, you’re not going to be risking adding any type of cost into the businesses,” says Cal Jungwirth, director of permanent placement services at Robert Half.
“I’m not saying no one is hiring out there, but as a general trend, yeah, until organizations have a better feel of what the economy is going to look like, they’re going to continue to be very cautious.”
On Thursday, Statistics Canada released new job market data, which some experts say reflects the broader business sentiment surrounding the trade war.
According to the agency, the number of job vacancies, meaning job openings listed by businesses that have yet to be filled, fell in May of 2025 by 20,400, or 4.1 per cent, compared to the previous month, and that’s after a 3.4 per cent drop in April.
Compared to the same month in 2024, the total number of job vacancies in May of 2025 fell by nearly 16 per cent.
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