Canadian employers reported 388,000 job vacancies in the first quarter, Statistics Canada reported today. The number of job vacancies rose by 58,000, up 17.5%, from the first quarter of 2016; it was the second consecutive year-over-year increase in the number of vacancies and the job vacancy rate.

The job vacancy rate — a measure of job openings compared with total employment — rose 0.4 percentage point year over year to 2.5%.

Nationally, the number of job vacancies increased in nine of the 10 broad occupational groups on a year-over-year basis. Close to 60% of the net national increase was concentrated in two occupational groups. The exception was management occupations, where vacancies were little changed compared with the same quarter in 2016.

The largest increases in job vacancies were in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations, up 15,000; and business, finance and administration occupations, up 8,600.

Nationally, the average offered hourly wage for job vacancies was C$20.40 in the first quarter, up 55 cents, or 2.8%, compared with the first quarter of 2016.