Canada job vacancies rise in third quarter with gains across sectors

[January 11, 2018]  OTTAWA (Reuters) - The number of job vacancies in Canada rose in the third quarter compared to the year before, with openings seen across a number of industries, including transportation and food and accommodation, data from Statistics Canada showed on Thursday.

There were 468,000 jobs open in the third quarter, up 15.1 percent from the third quarter of 2016. The vacancy rate, which measures the share of unfilled jobs out of those available, rose to 2.9 percent from 2.6 percent.

A higher job vacancy rate often points to economic growth. Canada's labor market saw unexpectedly robust gains in 2017 and contributed to the Bank of Canada's decision to raise rates twice last year.

Openings for permanent positions accounted for 80.2 percent of all vacancies in the third quarter, up from 78.5 percent the year before.

The number of job openings also rose in nine out of the 10 largest industrial sectors. Vacancies rose 50 percent in the transportation sector as there was more demand for vehicle and transit drivers, while openings in food services and accommodation were up 13.6 percent.

(Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.