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March 26, 2026JOB VACANCIES, JANUARY 2026 Monthly (January 2026 vs December 2025, seasonally adjusted)
Nova Scotia had 14,485 job vacancies in January 2026 with a vacancy rate of 3.1%, up 0.3 percentage points from the previous month.
Canadian employers were actively recruiting for 492,360 positions in January with the national job vacancy rate of 2.8%, unchanged from the previous month. Among provinces, four reported higher vacancy rates, three were unchanged, and two declined compared to December. The highest vacancy rates were reported in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and British Columbia (all 3.1%), while the lowest was in Newfoundland in Labrador. Data from Prince Edward Island were supressed in January 2026.
When compared to December 2025, the number of job vacancies in Nova Scotia rose 9.7% (+1,275 vacant positions). National job vacancies declined 2.7% (+13,585 vacant positions). Job vacancies rose in five provinces, led by New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, while British Columbia reported the fastest decline in vacant positions.
Year-over-year (January 2026 vs January 2025)
Nova Scotia's job vacancy rate was up 0.2 percentage points compared to January 2025. Nationally, the job vacancy rate declined 0.1 percentage point compared to January 2025. All provinces except Nova Scotia, New Brunswick (higher) and Alberta (stable) reported lower job vacancy rates compared to one year ago. The largest percentage point declined were reported in Québec, Saskatchewan and British Columbia (all -0.4 percentage points).
When compared to January 2025, the number of job vacancies in Nova Scotia rose 4.4% or by 605 vacancies. National job vacancies declined 6.7% or by 35,080 vacant positions. Six provinces reported declines in the number of vacancies over the twelve-month period ending in January, led by Québec. New Brunswick reported the fastest rise in job vacancies.
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 subsequently trend down in the second half of 2025. Nova Scotia's job vacancy rate has been above or equal to the national rate for the last fifteen months.
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, January 2026
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, transportation, information/culture, finance/insurance, professional/technical services, company management and education reported higher vacancy rates than a year ago.
Health care and social assistance had the highest number of vacancies in Canada at 92,930 in January 2026 and experienced the most significant decline in the number of vacancies (-16,880).
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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