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January 29, 2026JOB VACANCIES, NOVEMBER 2025 Monthly (November 2025 vs October 2025, seasonally adjusted)
Nova Scotia had 13,355 job vacancies in November 2025 with a vacancy rate of 2.8%, down 0.1 percentage point from the previous month.
Canadian employers were actively recruiting for 472,085 positions in November with the national job vacancy rate of 2.6%, unchanged from the previous month. Five provinces reported higher vacancy rates in November compared to October, with the highest vacancy rates in Prince Edward Island (no data for October), Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The lowest vacancy rate was in Ontario.
When compared to October 2025, the number of job vacancies in Nova Scotia edged down 0.04% (-5 vacant positions). National job vacancies rose 0.8% (+3,810 vacant positions). Job vacancies rose in six provinces, led by Newfoundland and Labrador. British Columbia (fastest), Ontario and Nova Scotia reported declines in job vacancies compared to October.
Year-over-year (November 2025 vs November 2024)
Nova Scotia's job vacancy rate was down 0.3 percentage points compared to November 2024. Nationally, the job vacancy rate declined 0.4 percentage points compared to November 2024. All provinces except Prince Edward Island (higher), New Brunswick and Manitoba (both stable) reported lower job vacancy rates compared to one year ago. British Columbia reported the largest percentage point reduction in the job vacancy rate.
When compared to November 2024, the number of job vacancies in Nova Scotia fell 5.7% or by 800 vacancies. National job vacancies declined 12.5% or by 67,230 vacant positions. All provinces except New Brunswick reported declines in the number of vacancies over the twelve-month period ending in November, led by British Columbia.
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 vacancy rate rose in the first half of 2025 but has resumed its downward trend. It remains above the national average in November.
Nova Scotia's job vacancies peaked at 22,775 in July 2022 and have been trending down. There was an increase in Nova Scotia job vacancies through the summer of 2025, followed by a decrease in the autumn months.
Canada job vacancy rate and job vacancies by industry, November 2025
Nationally, accommodation/food services, personal/repair services, and health care/social assistance had the highest job vacancy rates. The lowest vacancy rates were in education and utilities. Utilities was the only sector to report higher job vacancy rates compared to one year ago.
Health care and social assistance had the highest number of vacancies in Canada at 96,220 in November 2025 and experienced the most significant decline in the number of vacancies (-21,785).
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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