The Demand for Skilled Talent
2022 Hiring and Employment Trends
Need a better hiring and retention strategy this year? Start with our 2022 Demand for Skilled Talent report and discover what the new hiring landscape will look like, how smart businesses are adapting and what job candidates want most from employers.
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Canadian Labour Market Snapshot
Unemployment Rate (April 2022): 5.2%
Jobs Increased (April 2022): 15,300*
12-Month Employment Gains (April 2022): 1,015,700**
*Statistics Canada, Seasonally Adjusted
**Statistics Canada, Seasonally Adjusted, May 2021 to April 2022
Employers left in the dark
Ghosting continues to be common among candidates — and a real frustration for employers.
Percentage of professionals who have ghosted potential employers and cited that the job was not what they expected as the main reason they stopped responding:*
Percentage of employers who reported ghosting by candidates more often since the pandemic started:*
*Top responses shown
Views from the negotiating table
Job seekers are doing their salary research, but pay is only one reason they aren’t accepting new offers.
Employer perspectives
Why companies lose out on candidates they want to hire
35%
Hiring manager takes too long to make an offer and the candidate accepts another position
33%
Candidate wants more schedule flexibility
30%
Offer doesn’t meet candidate’s salary expectations
2%
Other
Worker sentiments
How candidates prepare for salary negotiation*
34%
Researched salaries for the role
17%
Calculated an ideal salary based on personal finance needs
17%
Discussed salaries with colleagues
*Multiple responses permitted
A good time to hire, whether contract or permanent
Companies are adding staff across sectors in 2022 for both contract and permanent positions.
Hiring outlook for permanent positions*
49%
Adding new permanent positions
45%
Hiring for vacated positions
5%
Freezing hiring
1%
Eliminating positions
*Hiring for the first half of 2022.
Hiring outlook for contract positions
52%
Increasing
10%
Decreasing
34%
No change
5%
Not using contract employees
**Responses may not total 100 per cent due to rounding.
Raising the incentives bar
Want top talent? Better pay, employee recognition, flexible work arrangements and opportunities for advancement are what workers want most.
Employer perspectives
Actions employers are taking when hiring*
47%
Offering remote options
46%
Increasing starting salaries
31%
Loosening education, skills or experience requirements
30%
Offering signing bonuses
29%
Increasing paid time off
Worker sentiments
Reasons workers plan to look for a new job*
59%
Higher salary
38%
Greater appreciation
35%
Ability to work remotely long term
33%
More opportunity to advance
30%
Better benefits and perks
*Multiple responses permitted
Hiring trends and notable positions
See trends for each area of business.
*Percentage reflects April 2022 unemployment rate, Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada, May 6, 2022.
Finance and Accounting
Notable Positions*
Financial auditors/accountants
Financial and investment analysts
Financial reporting specialists
Payroll clerks
Additional positions in demand:
Accounts receivable/accounts payable specialists
Controllers
Credit/collections clerks
Payroll specialists
Hiring and Employment Trends
49% of senior managers in finance and accounting are hiring for new permanent positions in the first half of 2022. 46% are hiring only for vacated roles.
51% plan to increase the number of contract employees in their department in 2022.
Top functions in which managers are adding new contract finance and accounting positions:
- Accounts payable, accounts receivable and bookkeeping
- Budgets and analysis
- Finance and financial planning and analysis
96% said it's challenging to find skilled finance professionals, with the most challenging areas being:
- Budgets and analysis
- Finance and FP&A
- Accounts payable, accounts receivable and bookkeeping
84% are concerned about valued employees on their team leaving for new opportunities.
35% of finance and accounting professionals plan to look for a new job that offers remote work options if their company requires employees to return to the office.
81% are confident their skills are relevant if they had to look for a new job today.
*Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2016 Version 1.3.
Administration
Notable Positions*
Administrative assistants
Executive assistants
Office assistants
Receptionists
Additional positions in demand:
Data entry specialists
Mortgage assistants
Project assistants/coordinators
Property management assistants
Hiring and Employment Trends
51% of senior managers in administrative and customer support are hiring for new permanent positions in the first half of 2022. 45% are hiring only for vacated roles.
50% plan to increase the number of contract employees in their department in 2022.
85% said it's challenging to find skilled administrative and customer support professionals, with the most challenging areas being:
- Customer service and customer experience
- Account management
- Call centres
- Project management and co-ordination
- Logistics
73% are concerned about valued employees on their team leaving for new opportunities.
Top administrative and customer support functions currently outsourced, according to managers:
- Customer service and call centres
- Travel, event and meeting planning
- Data entry and processing
28% of administrative and customer support professionals plan to look for a new job that offers remote work options if their company requires employees to return to the office.
75% are confident their skills are current and relevant if they had to look for a new job today.
*Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2016 Version 1.3.
Human Resources
Notable Positions*
HR generalists
HR specialists
HR supervisors
Additional positions in demand:
HR assistants
HR benefits specialists
HR recruiters
Hiring and Employment Trends
50% of HR managers are hiring for new permanent positions in the first half of 2022. 44% are hiring only for vacated roles.
55% plan to increase the number of contract employees in their department in 2022.
85% said it's challenging to find skilled HR professionals, with the most challenging areas being:
- Management and leadership
- Recruiting and talent sourcing
- Human resources information systems
73% are concerned about valued employees on their team leaving for new opportunities.
Greatest challenges facing HR departments, according to managers:
- Employee engagement and motivation
- Employee retention
- Budget reductions
43% of HR professionals plan to look for a new job that offers remote work options if their company requires employees to return to the office.
84% are confident their skills are current and relevant if they had to look for a new job today.
*Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2016 Version 1.3.
*Percentage reflects April 2022 unemployment rate, Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada, May 6, 2022.
Marketing and Creative
Notable Positions*
Advertising managers
E-commerce marketing managers
Marketing managers
Public relations managers
Social media managers
Additional positions in demand:
Digital marketing specialist/managers
Instructional designers
UI designers
UX directors/designers
Hiring and Employment Trends
57% of senior managers in marketing and creative are hiring for new permanent positions in the first half of 2022. 40% are hiring only for vacated roles.
66% will increase the number of contract employees in their department in 2022.
98% said it's challenging to find skilled marketing and creative professionals, with the most challenging areas being:
- Project management, traffic and operations
- Digital design and production
- Design and production
89% are concerned about valued employees on their team leaving for new opportunities.
Marketing and creative managers say their top strategic priorities for 2022 are:
- Implementing digital marketing strategies
- Improving brand messaging and image across channels
- Improving customer experience
60% of marketing and creative professionals plan to look for a new job that offers remote work options if their company requires employees to return to the office.
70% are confident their skills are current and relevant if they had to look for a new job today.
*Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2016 Version 1.3.
*Percentage reflects April 2022 unemployment rate, Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada, May 6, 2022.
Customer Support
Notable Positions*
Call centre representatives
Contract managers
Customer service specialists
Additional positions in demand:
Senior call centre specialists
Senior customer service specialists
Hiring and Employment Trends
51% of senior managers in administrative and customer support are hiring for new permanent positions in the first half of 2022. 45% are hiring only for vacated roles.
50% plan to increase the number of contract employees in their department in 2022.
85% said it's challenging to find skilled administrative and customer support professionals, with the most challenging areas being:
- Customer service and customer experience
- Account management
- Call centres
- Project management and co-ordination
- Logistics
73% are concerned about valued employees on their team leaving for new opportunities.
Top administrative and customer support functions currently outsourced, according to managers:
- Customer service and call centres
- Travel, event and meeting planning
- Data entry and processing
28% of administrative and customer support professionals plan to look for a new job that offers remote work options if their company requires employees to return to the office.
75% are confident their skills are current and relevant if they had to look for a new job today.
*Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2016 Version 1.3.
*Percentage reflects April 2022 unemployment rate, Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada, May 6, 2022.
Technology
Notable Positions*
Computer programmers
Data administrators
Information systems analysts
Network administrators
Software developers
Web designers/developers
Additional positions in demand:
Business intelligence analysts
Data architects
DevOps engineers
Front-end developers
Mobile applications developers
Hiring and Employment Trends
53% of senior managers in technology are hiring for new permanent positions in the first half of 2022. 39% are hiring only for vacated roles.
59% plan to increase the number of contract employees in their department in 2022.
94% said it's challenging to find skilled technology professionals, with the most challenging areas being:
- Data science and database administration
- Business intelligence, analysis and reporting
- Cloud architecture and operation
88% are concerned about valued employees on their team leaving for new opportunities.
Technology managers say their top strategic priorities for 2022 are:
- Security of IT systems and information
- Technology modernization
- Data management and analysis
46% of technology professionals plan to look for a new job that offers remote work options if their company requires employees to return to the office.
75% are confident their skills are current and relevant if they had to look for a new job today.
*Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2016 Version 1.3.
*Percentage reflects April 2022 unemployment rate, Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada, May 6, 2022.
Legal
Notable Positions*
General counsel
Law clerks
Lawyers
Notaries
Additional positions in demand:
Compliance analysts
Contract administrators
Data privacy specialists
Legal secretaries
Litigation support
Hiring and Employment Trends
58% of law firms/legal departments are hiring for new permanent positions in the first half of 2022. 42% are hiring only for vacated roles.
51% plan to increase the number of contract employees in their law firm/legal department in 2022.
99% said it's challenging to find skilled legal professionals, with the most challenging areas being:
Law firms:
- Data entry and word processing
- Document review and management
- Legal research and analysis
Legal departments:
- Data entry and extraction
- Document review and management
- Legal research and analysis
94% are concerned about valued employees on their team leaving for new opportunities.
Areas of law expected to offer the most job opportunities in the next 12 months:
- General business or corporate law
- Intellectual property
- Litigation
36% of legal professionals plan to look for a new job that offers remote work options if their company/law firm requires employees to return to the office.
94% are confident their skills are current and relevant if they had to look for a new job today.
*Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2016 Version 1.3.
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Workers want flexibility. Employers are reluctant to give it.
Employers are still reluctant to meet employee demands to work anywhere.
Employers' plans to return workers to the office
55%
On a full-time basis
27%
On a part-time basis
17%
Will let each employee decide
1%
Will not be reopening office
Work opportunities of interest to employees*
60%
Fully-remote position
57%
Remote-optional position (flexibility on where to work)
50%
Hybrid position (remote and in the office)
*Multiple responses permitted; top responses shown
Start a smarter salary discussion
Hiring talent? Negotiating compensation? See the 2022 Salary Guide from Robert Half to:
- Explore national and market-specific salary projections based on real job placements
- Review trends in your profession
- Discover what perks and benefits employers are offering to attract and keep talent — and what workers want most
Sources:
Labour Force Summary — April 2022, Statistics Canada; May 6, 2022
Labour Unemployment Numbers — April 2022, Statistics Canada; May 6, 2022
Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2016 Version 1.3
Online surveys developed by Robert Half and conducted by independent research firms in 2021. Respondents included executives, senior managers and employees from small (20-249 employees), medium (250-499 employees) and large (500+ employees) private, publicly listed and public sector organizations across Canada.