Statistics Canada reports payroll employment rose by 24,100 positions in May 2026, up 0.6% year over year, while job vacancies held steady at 495,700 with a 2.8% vacancy rate. Public administration, health care, and retail trade drove the gains, while finance and professional services saw declines, a mix that directly shapes which occupations and provinces are prioritizing skilled newcomers right now. 

How Strong Was Canada’s Labour Market in May 2026? 

Payroll employment increased by 24,100 positions in May, a 0.1% monthly gain that followed a stronger 59,000-position increase in April. Year over year, payroll employment is up 112,500 positions, or 0.6%. Job vacancies remained essentially flat at 495,700, marking the fifth straight month of little change, with the national vacancy rate holding at 2.8%. Average weekly earnings reached $1,337.77, up 3.4% from May 2025, while average weekly hours worked stayed steady at 33.4. Nationally, there were 3.0 unemployed people for every job vacancy, an improvement from both the previous month and the same period last year. 

For anyone weighing a move to Canada, these numbers describe a labour market that’s growing steadily rather than booming, and that distinction matters. Steady growth tends to translate into more predictable hiring and provincial nomination activity, since employers and provinces alike are responding to genuine, sustained demand rather than short-term spikes that can reverse quickly. 

Which Sectors Are Actually Hiring Right Now? 

Four sectors carried May’s gains. Public administration added 11,700 positions, its third consecutive month of growth, with federal hiring tied partly to census enumerators and crew leaders. Health care and social assistance grew by 6,800, extending a run that’s added 55,900 positions since September 2025, led by hospitals, elder care facilities, and child day care services. Retail trade added 5,600 positions for a third straight month of gains, concentrated in food and beverage retailers. Administrative and support services rounded out the gainers with 3,100 new positions. 

Two sectors moved the other way. Finance and insurance lost 5,700 positions, driven almost entirely by a sharp 9.6% drop in securities and commodity brokerage, even as depository credit intermediation and insurance carriers kept growing year over year. Professional, scientific and technical services shed 3,400 positions in May, with computer systems design down 2.5% year over year, though legal services and advertising both posted year-over-year gains that partly offset the decline. 

Source: Canada’s May 2026 Jobs Data

Where Are Job Vacancies Opening Up for Newcomers? 

Job vacancies climbed in construction (+18.4%), professional, scientific and technical services (+13.8%), finance and insurance (+10.7%), and real estate (+25.0%), even as overall national vacancies stayed flat. Health care and social assistance saw its first significant monthly vacancy decline since December 2024, falling 11.6%, though it still posted the third-highest vacancy rate of any sector at 3.4%, trailing only accommodation and food services at 4.3% and other services at 3.7%. The lowest vacancy rates were in educational services, corporate management, and information and cultural industries. 

Regionally, Ontario stood out as the only province with a statistically significant monthly change, with vacancies rising 5.6%. Provincial nominee programs generally track this kind of sector- and region-specific demand closely, which is part of why draws in provinces like Manitoba and Quebec continue to prioritize manufacturing, health care, and skilled trades occupations that line up with where the real vacancies sit. 

What Should This Tell You About Timing Your Application? 

Labour market data like this shapes federal category-based Express Entry draws and provincial nominee occupation lists more directly than most applicants realize. Sustained health care and construction demand, paired with softening demand in tech and finance-adjacent roles, has already been visible in recent Quebec and Manitoba invitation rounds this year. Candidates in high-vacancy fields have a genuine tailwind right now, while candidates in cooling sectors may want to lean more heavily on provincial nomination strategies or additional certifications to stay competitive. 

Want to know how Canada’s current hiring trends line up with your occupation and immigration options? Talk to ImmigCanada about building a strategy around where the real demand is.

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