Canadian job vacancies fell by 9.2% in the second quarter from the first quarter to a total of 582,600, Statistics Canada reported today. It’s the eighth consecutive quarterly decline from the record high of 983,600 reached in the second quarter of 2022.

Vacancies in the second quarter decreased for both permanent and temporary positions. The number of permanent positions fell 8.3%, a decrease of 43,400, while the number of temporary positions fell by 12.9%, a decrease of 15,600. Temporary positions are defined as those with a fixed end date.

The declines in openings come even as payroll employment rose by 0.4% in the second quarter and total labor demand — the sum of filled and vacant positions — was little change compared to the first quarter of 2024.

There were 2.4 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in the second quarter. The unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio has trended upward since the third quarter of 2022.

The average offered hourly wage for vacant positions rose 6.8% in the second quarter to C$26.80.

The average hourly wage for temporary positions rose 5.1% year over year to C$23.75. For perm positions, the average hourly wage rose 7.2% to C$27.60.