Canadian employers reported 353,000 job vacancies in the fourth quarter, Statistics Canada reported today. The job vacancy rate — a measure of job openings compared with total employment — was 2.3%.

Full-time work accounted for almost two-thirds of job vacancies in Canada.

Among the 10 broad occupational groups, sales and service occupations had the highest number of job vacancies, at 143,000 or 40.4% of all job vacancies. Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations had the second-largest number of job vacancies, at 48,000.

The average offered hourly wage for all job vacancies was C$18.95 in the fourth quarter.