Retail job vacancies reach new high in June: StatsCan

Statistics Canada says the number of job vacancies climbed 3.2% in June to reach a new high as employers were looking to fill more than one million positions for a third consecutive month.

The agency says employers were actively seeking to fill 1,037,900 positions compared with 1,005,700 in May.

The job vacancy rate was 5.9% in June, matching the record-high mark reached in September 2021 and up from 4.9% in June 2021.

Statistics Canada says employers in the health care and social assistance sector were looking to fill 149,700 vacant jobs in June, up 4.3% from May and up 40.8 per cent compared with a year earlier.

Job vacancies in the accommodation and food services sector totalled 171,700 in June, up from 6.6% compared with May and up 38.8% from June 2021.

The retail trade sector saw vacancies rise 15.3% compared with May to 114,400 in June. Vacancies in the retail sector were up 22.5% compared with June 2021.