This text is part of the special booklet Trades, professions and careers
A ranking of the 15 most in-demand jobs in Canada reveals important changes in the labor market in 2023, but also constants.
Based on the analysis of data from clients of Randstad Canada, a company specializing in human resources, the ranking brings together both the most sought-after positions and those offering the best working conditions.
The trends emerging from this analysis say a lot about the post-pandemic job market, struggling with a labor shortage that no longer speaks its name.
Popular professions
It is no surprise that the developers win the top ranking. With the deployment of digital projects in all sectors, they are in demand everywhere, from SMEs to large companies, in the public and private sectors. In order to attract them, employers offer salaries of up to $155,000.
Propelled into second position, the position of human resources manager has become essential to the proper functioning of organizations, particularly with the normalization of the hybridity of work following the pandemic, but also with the enthusiasm for international recruitment, perceived by some as a solution to labor shortages.
The building and construction trades are also well represented in the ranking, with the profession of welder, or even director of works. A place of choice, which is explained by the current real estate boom in Canada, but also because this area is particularly affected by retirements. According to Marie-Pier Bédard, executive vice-president at Randstad Canada, this result was predictable: “It’s been so many years that these are trades that we do not value and that the school benches are empty. There, we see the impact on the labor market, ”she says.
The ranking of the profession of sales associate, in tenth position, provides information on the impact of the pandemic on the retail trade, or even on the catering and hotel sectors. “A lot of people have left those areas,” says Ms.me Bédard, who notes their “difficult reconstruction”. Today, activities have resumed and the demand for personnel is on the rise.
Fewer degrees required
Also new for 2023 is the fact that several of the most sought-after professions do not necessarily require the candidate to have a degree. Others are accessible through short-term studies, in particular vocational studies diplomas (DEP).
“In the past, we always said that to access interesting jobs, it was necessary to go to university,” says Ms.me Bédard, a reality upset by the scarcity of labour, particularly in the technical trades.
Thus, approximately one-third of the jobs listed do not require higher education. The positions of driver, sales associate and customer service advisor, for example, nevertheless provide access to salaries in excess of $60,000 annually, depending on the level of the position.
The future is digital
One of the major upheavals in the job market caused by the pandemic also comes from the changes that have taken place in the consumption habits of Canadians. Although online sales have declined after a meteoric rise in 2020, they could reach $104 billion in 2025, down from $79.8 billion in 2022, Retail Insider estimates.
“The rise of online commerce […] has a direct impact on the job market,” reveals Ms.me Bedard. This explains why warehouse clerks, drivers, production supervisors and customer service advisors are on the list of the 15 best jobs in the country. The rise of e-commerce has also made digital marketing coordination a must-have for many businesses, and ranked fourteenth in Randstad Canada’s rankings.
A trend which, according to the executive vice-president, is not likely to disappear in the coming years. The demand for labor in the field of technology and digital, she believes, “is there for good”.
Continuities and rupture
Other constants should be confirmed in 2023: hit by a shortage that does not date from yesterday, the nursing profession finds itself in sixth place in the ranking, in which it systematically finds its place, confirms Ms.me Bedard.
The position of mechanical engineer is likely to join it there in the coming years, since the strong growth of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) industries generates constant demand.
Accounting also shows a continued need for new workers, so much so that foreign technicians and clerks are eligible for the federal government’s express entry system.
The “biggest surprise of the ranking” for Marie-Pier Bédard is its diversity. “Historically, we thought that recession equaled job losses,” she explains. […] There, we arrive in an economic slowdown in a completely different context, that is to say that the unemployment rate is so low and that there is already such a shortage in many fields, that it does not affect the number of jobs available on the market,” she analyses.
Flexibility
This context, favorable to job seekers or “talents” wishing to change employers or retrain, has an impact on the nature of the jobs in demand in Canada.
The hybridity of work “has really taken hold following the pandemic”, argues Mme Bédard, who recalls that “certain positions can never be virtual”. Will drivers, warehouse clerks and welders still be popular then?
Marie-Pier Bédard insists above all on flexibility, “one of the most important aspects for job seekers” and which “is reflected in certain jobs that make the list”, particularly with regard to white collar workers, she specifies. -She.
Since in 2023, workers still have the upper end of the stick in most employment sectors, “the employers who manage to distinguish themselves the most at the moment are those who will manage to [offrir ce qui] best matches what a talent is looking for,” she advises.
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, pertaining to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.