What workers does Canada need right now?

The number of job openings in Canada is growing by leaps and bounds. Now, according to Statistics Canada, it is the highest on record, with 72% more job vacancies than in 2020.

Canada still has a huge labour shortage. I will tell you why but first I am going to say which industries need workers the most. I am also going to name salaries by occupation. The information will be from the Canadian job site Glassdoor. The salary information there is taken from anonymous employee surveys, I think they can be trusted.

In-demand sectors

I will start with the social assistance and health care sector. The number of vacancies in this sector is off the charts. There has always been a need for doctors and social workers, because the population is growing, people need treatment, and retirees need care. So, the demand for employees of this sphere was high, and after the pandemic, it became even higher. Now there are about 137,000 vacancies in health care.

And the most needed occupations which make up almost 70% of job openings are nursing assistants, orderlies, and patient care workers. Yes, it is hard work and you may have to wipe old people's butts. If that scares you and you want to easily get a Canadian visa to be welcomed with open arms and then given the keys to a house with a pool, I can only suggest you wake up.

If you are a healthcare specialist in your country, you will have to go down the career ladder, but it is a great chance to catch on in Canada. These professions do not require additional education or licensing. And the salary is not bad, an average of $45,000 CAD a year before taxes. It is difficult to say how much it will be after; each province has its own taxes. But again, I suggest being realistic and not dreaming of living in Toronto, but looking at smaller cities where living is cheaper.

I have a great interview with a girl, Olga, who managed to get a job offer during the pandemic being in her home country. Although, she did not become an orderly but a caregiver. This profession is also in demand, so I think her experience will be useful to many. In the interview, Olga told how she looked for a job and moved.

I will continue about the healthcare field. This sector still requires licensed and registered nurses. They have a bigger salary of $81,000 CAD per year. But to work as a nurse in Canada, you will have to study specifically for these professions and get a license. If you have the money, time, and desire, this is a good option. But keep in mind that you will need at least $25,000-30,000 CAD a year for education and living expenses. I would rather look for a job in a profession that does not require a license first, like n orderly. And when you have a permanent residency, the cost of education in Canada for you will be two or three times lower.

Next are the builders. Of course, we cannot do without them, the need for these specialists is quite obvious. Canada is developing, building up, and it needs workers. The locals are used to comfortable conditions and are not eager to work in construction.

I have a buddy who went from being a college student to a manager at a construction company. He told me that they just cannot find workers. A lot of Canadians prefer to hang out with weed and they are not good employees. I can see from his example how you can build a posh career in Canada in a few years. And, again, he started just by going to college, he even could not receive his visa for the first time.

The construction industry especially needs construction assistants and handymen, with an average salary of $63,000 CAD per year. Canada also needs plotters. They get a little more, $64,500 CAD. If you are not afraid of such work, you can look for jobs.

Manufacturing and retail trades are the next. There are 87,400 jobs in these sectors. That is some record numbers for those industries. In the manufacturing sector, Canada needs most labourers in food and beverage processing. They earn, on average, little, about $34,000 CAD a year. Also, labourers in metal fabrication are needed. They make more, $54,000 CAD. There are also a lot of open positions in food and beverage stores and convenience stores.

Jobs by province

So which provinces have the most available jobs right now? There are five: Newfoundland and Labrador, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Manitoba and Ontario. The labour shortage in other regions is not that severe, but there are plenty of vacancies to choose from.

Why are there not enough workers?

Probably a lot of people do not understand what the job growth has to do with it, I will explain. It is not because working conditions in Canada are so bad that people are just fleeing from there and creating turnover and shortages. On the contrary, employers have had a problem hiring because of the decrease in unemployment. That is, those who were available have already taken jobs, there are new vacancies, all the old ones are not closed yet, and there are no new workers.

To be fair, Canada does have unscrupulous employers who hire foreigners and then cheat them. I have interviewed girls who came to work on a farm and got screwed. They told me what they had done and how the government had helped them.

Advantages for foreigners

The shortage of staff is still good for job seekers outside Canada. Employers are expected to raise wages because of it. And such a situation is already observed. On average, salaries in Canada have increased by 2.5%. The percentage varies in each field, somewhere even much higher. For example, the increase in wholesale trade is almost 10%, and in manufacturing, it is 6.5%.

But the wage increase affects those who are already in Canada. If you are looking for work from your home country, do not expect employers to compete for you. At first, it is better to take what you have. Still, finding a job in Canada is not easy if you are overseas.

In general, if you want to find a job in Canada, now is a good time. The main thing is not to delay with it, as well as with obtaining permanent residency, because as you get older, your chances of immigration decrease.

Alex Pavlenko, founder of Immigrant.Today