Jobs in Canada 2026: Hiring Trends + Salaries

Canada enters 2026 with unemployment at 6.7% and job openings down from 2022 peaks, but according to Statistics Canada, healthcare needs 117,600 additional workers by 2028, while skilled trades face persistent shortages. If you're a Canadian looking to switch jobs, an international student figuring out your post-graduation path, or someone outside Canada researching immigration options, this guide breaks down where the jobs actually are.

This guide shows you where hiring is strongest, what different provinces pay, and how to use Yotru's resume builder to match what Canadian employers expect.

Sources: Statistics Canada, Job Bank, CIBC Economics

Key takeaways for job seekers in Canada

• Overall demand: Hiring cooled from 2022 but healthcare, trades, and some tech roles still need people
• Competition: Entry level jobs get flooded with applications, mid-career roles with Canadian experience easier
• Top shortage fields: Nurses, PSWs, electricians, plumbers, welders, truck drivers, software developers
• Under pressure: Retail, hospitality, and some office admin roles face too many applicants
• Wages in Canada: Big differences by province, Toronto/Vancouver cost more but don't always pay more
• Best chances: People with trade tickets, regulated profession licenses, 2+ years Canadian work experience

Jobs in Canada by sector

Healthcare jobs in Canada

Market reality: Every province needs healthcare workers. Nurses can get jobs almost anywhere. Personal support workers (PSWs) needed urgently in Ontario and BC. Wait times getting worse, not better.

Salary in Canada:

• Registered nurses: $65,000-$95,000 (higher in remote areas)
• Licensed practical nurses (LPNs): $48,000-$68,000
• Personal support workers (PSWs): $38,000-$52,000
• Strongest demand: Ontario, BC, Alberta, rural everywhere

Who's hiring:

• Registered nurses - Hospitals always hiring, especially ER and ICU
• LPNs - Long-term care homes, clinics, home care agencies
• PSWs - Huge demand, fastest path to work for new immigrants
• Allied health - Physiotherapists, occupational therapists, respiratory therapists

What you need:

• English or French: Most provinces want IELTS 7.0 for nursing registration
• Provincial license: Each province has its own nursing college (CNO in Ontario, BCCNM in BC, etc.)
• Credential assessment: NNAS for international nurses, takes 6-12 months
• Shift work: Nights, weekends, holidays are normal in healthcare

Job posting signals: "willing to sponsor," "new grad friendly," "visa support available," "shift premiums"

If you're an international student in Canada:

• Your PGWP lets you work as a PSW or health aide right away (no license needed)
• PSW work counts for Canadian Experience Class if you get permanent hours
• Use PSW job to build Canadian experience while doing nursing credential assessment
• Many hospitals have bridging programs for international nursing grads
• Network with other international nurses, they know which employers actually help with licensing

If you're applying from outside Canada:

• Rural and remote communities sponsor foreign workers more often than cities
• Alberta and Saskatchewan process credentials faster than Ontario
• Look for "Global Talent Stream" postings for faster work permits
• Be ready to start in smaller cities, transfer to Toronto/Vancouver later
• Budget $5,000-$8,000 for credential assessment, exams, and licensing fees

How Yotru helps: Changes nursing credentials to match Canadian standards, shows your registration status clearly, formats for provincial nursing colleges, puts Canadian equivalent job titles front and center.

Skilled trades jobs in Canada

Market reality: Canada needs 700,000 skilled workers by 2028. Electricians, plumbers, and welders can basically name their price in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Toronto and Vancouver also desperate but housing costs eat your salary.

Salary in Canada:

• Electricians: $55,000-$85,000 (journeyperson rate)
• Plumbers: $52,000-$80,000
• Welders: $48,000-$75,000
• HVAC techs: $50,000-$78,000
• Strongest demand: Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, BC interior

Who's hiring:

• Electricians - Construction booming in Alberta, industrial work in Saskatchewan
• Plumbers - New housing builds in Ontario, renovations everywhere
• Welders - Oil and gas in Alberta, manufacturing in Ontario
• Heavy equipment operators - Mining in northern Ontario, BC, Saskatchewan

What you need:

• Red Seal certification: Lets you work in any province (huge advantage)
• Provincial apprenticeship: Each province has different requirements
• Safety tickets: First aid, WHMIS, confined space, fall protection
• Driver's license: Almost every trade job needs you to drive
• Own tools: Employers expect you to have basic hand tools

Job posting signals: "Red Seal preferred," "apprenticeship available," "tool allowance," "company truck," "camp work"

If you're an international student in Canada:

• Consider doing a trades pre-apprenticeship program (6-12 months)
• PGWP hours count toward apprenticeship requirements in most provinces
• Trades are NOC TEER 2, they qualify for Canadian Experience Class
• Get your safety tickets done (cheap and takes 1-2 days each)
• Start as a helper/laborer, many companies will sponsor your apprenticeship

If you're applying from outside Canada:

• Red Seal trades get priority for Express Entry (50-200 CRS points boost)
• Some provinces have direct immigration streams for tradespeople
• Challenge exams let you prove skills without doing full Canadian apprenticeship
• Bring all your training certificates and work records when you immigrate
• Alberta and Saskatchewan easiest provinces to get trade tickets recognized

How Yotru helps: Translates your trade credentials to Red Seal standards, shows safety certifications clearly, formats apprenticeship hours properly, highlights camp work and travel willingness.

Tech jobs in Canada

Market reality: Tech hiring slowed way down from 2021-2022 but good developers still get jobs. Toronto and Vancouver competitive, smaller cities like Waterloo, Ottawa, Calgary easier. Remote work still common.

Salary in Canada:

• Junior developers: $55,000-$75,000
• Mid-level developers: $75,000-$110,000
• Senior developers: $110,000-$160,000
• Tech leads/architects: $140,000-$200,000+
• Strongest demand: Toronto, Vancouver, Waterloo, Ottawa, Montreal (bilingual bonus)

Who's hiring:

• Software developers - Full stack, backend, frontend all needed
• DevOps engineers - Companies moving to cloud, need people who know AWS/Azure
• Data engineers - Everyone wants data pipelines and analytics
• Cybersecurity - Big shortage, government and finance paying well

What you need:

• Portfolio: GitHub with actual working projects beats degrees
• Modern tech stack: React, Node, Python, cloud platforms
• Canadian experience: Huge advantage, even 6 months makes a difference
• Communication skills: Canadian tech culture values teamwork and explaining your work
• Degree: Not always required but makes work permits easier for immigrants

Job posting signals: "remote-first," "hybrid," "startup equity," "benefits from day one," "LMIA support available"

If you're an international student in Canada:

• Your PGWP gives you 1-3 years to get Canadian tech experience
• Even 1 year at a Canadian company makes you way more attractive for sponsorship
• Startups more willing to sponsor than big companies (less bureaucracy)
• Join tech meetups and hackathons, that's how people actually get jobs here
• Toronto has most jobs but Vancouver, Waterloo, Montreal also good

If you're applying from outside Canada:

• Target companies with Global Talent Stream postings (2-week work permit processing)
• Remote jobs from Canadian companies are your easiest entry point
• Focus on companies that already sponsor (Shopify, Amazon, Uber, banks)
• Show you understand Canadian market (mention time zones, Canadian clients you've worked with)
• Be ready to take lower salary than US to get Canadian experience first

How Yotru helps: Puts your GitHub and portfolio links up front, shows tech stack clearly, formats for Canadian ATS systems, includes work permit status if you have PGWP or PR.

Transport and logistics snapshot

Transport jobs in Canada:

• Truck drivers desperately needed everywhere, especially long haul
• Salary: $50,000-$75,000 depending on route and experience
• Need Class 1/AZ license (costs $3,000-$8,000, takes 4-8 weeks)
• Many companies sponsor immigrants for truck driving roles
• Warehouse workers and forklift operators also in demand ($35,000-$48,000)

What matters for transport jobs:

• Clean driving record is everything
• Willing to work nights/weekends/holidays
• Some roles involve weeks away from home
• Border crossing jobs need clean criminal record
• Forklift certification cheap and quick to get

What's changing in the Canadian job market

Canadian experience matters less

Canada’s hiring landscape is shifting: In some provinces, rules now require more transparency around pay, hiring practices, and the use of AI in recruitment.

What this means for job seekers:

• “Canadian experience” is no longer a legal requirement in job postings under Ontario law. Employers can’t ask for it outright.
• Salary ranges must be disclosed for most roles, making it easier to judge real opportunities.
• AI screening must be disclosed, so applicants know when automated tools are being used.
• Employers must keep records of job postings and hiring decisions, increasing accountability.

While experience in Canada can still help in practice, the system is shifting toward skills, qualifications, and fair access, not informal barriers.

Immigration and work permits got more complicated

The reality: Canada still wants immigrants but the process changed a lot in 2024-2025.

What this means:

• PGWP length now tied to program length (used to be automatic 3 years)
• Some college programs don't qualify for PGWP anymore, check before enrolling
• Express Entry draws more selective, need higher CRS scores
• Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) matter more than federal Express Entry
• Having a job offer worth 50-200 CRS points depending on NOC level

Regional differences are huge

The trend: Where you work in Canada matters as much as what job you do.

What this means:

• Alberta pays more for trades but boom/bust cycles are real
• Quebec needs French, can't fake it for professional jobs
• Atlantic Canada easier to immigrate to but fewer total jobs
• Saskatchewan and Manitoba have easiest PNP programs
• Toronto/Vancouver most jobs but housing costs brutal

Getting started: what you need to know

Reality check for working in Canada

Canadian experience is everything

• First job hardest to get, even with great credentials
• Survival job for 6 months beats staying unemployed
• Volunteer in your field if you can't find paid work
• Canadians trust Canadian references way more than international ones

Credentials take time

• Regulated professions (nursing, engineering, teaching) need provincial registration
• Process takes 6-18 months, costs $2,000-$8,000 typically
• Some provinces recognize credentials faster than others
• Bridging programs help but add more time and money
• Research your specific profession's requirements before immigrating

Cost of living varies wildly

• Toronto 1-bedroom rent: $2,000-$3,000/month
• Vancouver 1-bedroom rent: $2,200-$3,500/month
• Calgary 1-bedroom rent: $1,400-$2,000/month
• Halifax 1-bedroom rent: $1,600-$2,200/month
• Smaller cities 30-50% cheaper but fewer jobs

Immigration pathways matter

• Express Entry: Federal program, need 400+ CRS score realistically
• PNPs: Provincial programs, often easier than federal
• LMIA work permits: Employer-specific, restricts job changes
• PGWP: Post-grad permit, lets you work anywhere
• Spousal sponsorship: Can work while application processes

Tax hits harder than you expect

• Federal tax up to 33%, plus provincial tax 5-20%
• CPP and EI deductions take another 7-8%
• Take-home often 60-70% of gross salary
• Use online calculators to see real take-home before accepting offers

Full immigration details: IRCC and Job Bank

Your job search game plan for Canada

If you're outside Canada:

• Check if your job is in demand - Use Job Bank to see which provinces need your skills
• Research credential recognition - Start the process before you arrive if possible
• Target immigrant-friendly employers - Big companies and government more likely to sponsor
• Build your resume Canadian-style - Use Yotru's resume builder to match Canadian format
• Consider starting in smaller cities - Easier to get first job, transfer to big city later

If you're an international student in Canada:

• Don't waste your PGWP - Work in your field even if pay is lower at first
• Get Canadian references - Professors, co-op supervisors, volunteer coordinators
• Join professional associations - Shows you're serious, helps with networking
• Learn the unwritten rules - Canadians communicate indirectly, learn to read between lines
• Track your work hours - You need 1,560 hours (1 year full time) for Express Entry

If you're already a Canadian (citizen or PR):

• Update your resume - Use Yotru's resume builder to fix common mistakes
• Don't undersell yourself - Canadians tend to be too modest, show your wins
• Network actively - Most Canadian jobs filled through connections before public posting
• Consider relocation - Your province might be saturated but other provinces need you

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