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July 31, 2025JOB VACANCIES, MAY 2025 Monthly (May 2025 vs April 2025, seasonally adjusted)
Nova Scotia had 13,325 job vacancies in May 2025 with a vacancy rate of 2.8%, unchanged for the second consecutive month.
Canadian employers were actively recruiting for 478,240 positions in May with the national job vacancy rate edging down to 2.7% (from 2.8% in April). Five provinces reported unchanged job vacancy rates in May while four provinces reported lower job vacancy rates compared to the previous month. Only New Brunswick reported an increase in the job vacancy rate over the previous month. The highest vacancy rate was in British Columbia, while the lowest vacancy rate was reported in Newfoundland and Labrador.
When compared to April 2025, the number of job vacancies in Nova Scotia rose 1.8% (+240 vacant positions) in May. National job vacancies fell 4.1% (-20,410 vacant positions). Job vacancies declined in seven provinces with the steepest decline in Québec. New Brunswick reported the largest increases in vacancies compared to April.
Year-over-year (May 2025 vs May 2024)
When compared to May 2025, the job vacancy rate in Nova Scotia declined 0.6 percentage points. Nationally, the job vacancy rate declined from 3.2% to 2.7%. Eight provinces reported lower job vacancy rates compared to one year ago. Saskatchewan reported the largest percentage point reduction in the job vacancy rate. Prince Edward Island was the only province to report a higher job vacancy rate compared to May 2024, while New Brunswick's was unchanged.
When compared to May 2024, the number of job vacancies in Nova Scotia declined 14.9% or by 2,335 vacancies. National job vacancies declined 15.8% or by 89,655 vacant positions. All provinces except Prince Edward Island reported declines in the number of vacancies over the twelve-month period ending in May. In percentage terms, Saskatchewan reported the steepest decline in job vacancies compared to May 2024. New Brunswick reported the smallest decline.
Trend
Nationally, job vacancy rates have trended downward after peaking in April-May 2022.
Nova Scotia's job vacancy rate peaked in the spring of 2022 and has also been on a downward trend.
Nova Scotia's job vacancies peaked at 22,775 in July 2022 and have been trending down. Job vacancies have declined at a slower pace since the end of 2023.
Canada job vacancy rate and job vacancies by industry, May 2025
Nationally, accommodation/food services, health care/social assistance and personal/repair services had the highest job vacancy rates. The lowest vacancy rates were in company management, education, mining/oil/gas and utilities. Utilities and arts/entertainment/recreation reported the only increases in vacancy rates over a year ago, while finance/insurance was unchanged. All other industries reported lower vacancy rates compared to one year ago.
Health care and social assistance had the highest number of vacancies at 99,900 in May 2025. Compared to May 2024, the number of vacancies declined in most industries, with the exception of utilities, finance/insurance, and arts/entertainment/recreation reporting increases.
Notes: The job vacancy rate is the percentage of job positions (both filled and vacant) that are vacant. A higher job vacancy rate indicates a tighter labour market where it is more difficult for employers to find suitable candidates for the positions offered. A lower job vacancy rate signals labour market slack and potentially more job seekers competing for each vacant position.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, data collection was suspended from April to October 2020. There remains a break in this data series.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0432-01 Job vacancies, payroll employees, and job vacancy rate by provinces and territories, monthly, adjusted for seasonality, Table 14-10-0406-01 Job vacancies, payroll employees, and job vacancy rate by industry sector, monthly, adjusted for seasonality
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