Canada job vacancies rise in second quarter

Best opportunities still in the west: Report

OTTAWA (Reuters) — The number of job vacancies in Canada rose to 437,400 in the second quarter, with the resource-rich west offering the most hope for people seeking work, Statistics Canada data indicated on Friday.

The federal agency showed a job vacancy rate of 2.8 per cent, up from 2.6 per cent in the first quarter. By comparison, Statistics Canada's labor force survey had shown an average of 1.31 million unemployed people in the second quarter.

There were 399,900 job vacancies in the first quarter.

Among the provinces, oil-producer Alberta in the west and New Brunswick in the east showed the highest vacancy rate, each recording 3.4 per cent.

Of the 10 economic regions with the highest job vacancy rates, eight were in the western provinces. There are 76 economic regions in all.

The survey was the second of its type by Statscan. The vacancy rate refers to the share of jobs that are not filled out of all payroll positions available.

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