Employment Trends in 2022: Demand for Skilled Talent

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Remote Job Trends

The divide over remote work deepens — discover what employers want and what workers expect.

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In-Demand Roles and Hiring Trends by Specialization

See which jobs employers want to fill soon, based on Robert Half’s unique demand scoring system.

Administrative and Customer Support

Finance and Accounting

Human Resources

Legal

Marketing and Creative

Technology

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Canadian Hiring Trends

Despite Recession Worries ...

Employers’ intent to hire remains strong through the end of 2022.

Return-to-office requirements are leading some workers to search for new jobs.

Employers are expanding retention strategies and tactics to curb turnover.

Companies’ Hiring Plans July–December 2022

50% Hiring for vacated positions

40% Hiring for new roles

8% Freezing hiring

2% Eliminating positions

Canadian Labour Market Snapshot

5.0%

Unemployment rate (December)

104,000^*

Jobs Increased (December)

594,200^**

12-Month Employment Gains (December 2022)

23.5%⁺

Remote openings rate (December)

^*Statistics Canada, Seasonally Adjusted

^**Statistics Canada, Seasonally Adjusted, January 2022 to December 2022

⁺Robert Half calculations are based on job postings provided by TalentNeuron™, a comprehensive source of global labour market analytics by Gartner.

Employers Brace for Increased Turnover

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Managers citing increased turnover

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Managers very concerned about employees quitting

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Workers actively searching for a new job in the second half of 2022

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Workers planning to search for a new job in second half of 2022

Retention Strategies Employers Can’t Ignore

Turnover is taking its toll on employers, yet counteroffers are rarely the answer. Although employees want better pay and perks, companies might consider offering recognition programs, remote work options and lighter workloads as lower-cost alternatives.

Top Retention Strategies

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Multiple responses were permitted. Top responses are shown.

Top Retention Strategies

Increase compensation45%
Remote jobs45%
Recognition programs40%
Enhanced professional38%

Multiple responses were permitted. Top responses are shown.

Report Methodology

Robert Half’s Demand for Skilled Talent uses a proprietary methodology to analyze more than 240,000 positions posted on over 100 independent job boards and company websites across Canada over the previous two quarters.

Job roles included in this report span over 60 categories within the Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) system (2016 Version 1.3) for the administrative and customer support, finance and accounting, human resources, legal, marketing and creative, and technology professions.

Robert Half’s analysis removes any repeat postings made within 30 days of the original posting.

The Demand for Skilled Talent

2022 hiring and employment trends

Your Resource for Meeting Today’s Hiring Challenges

Remote Job Trends

In-Demand Roles and Hiring Trends by Specialization

Hire Talent

Find a Job

Canadian Hiring Trends

Despite Recession Worries ...

Companies’ Hiring Plans July–December 2022

Canadian Labour Market Snapshot

Employers Brace for Increased Turnover

Retention Strategies Employers Can’t Ignore

Top Retention Strategies

Top Retention Strategies

Report Methodology