At the end of May, Mr. Fraser, the Immigration Minister of Canada, revealed the categories which will be targeted in the Express Entry Category-based draws that are planned to start this year in the summer.

The new category-based draws will be held in addition to the routine general and program-specific draws.

IRCC invites the candidates with the highest scores to apply for Canadian permanent residence in general draws. Whereas in program-specific draws, IRCC issues invitations to candidates with the highest-ranking based on programs.

In the new EE category-based draws, the highest-scoring candidates with a strong proficiency in French or job experience in the below-mentioned fields will be invited by IRCC.

  • Healthcare
  • Transport
  • Agriculture and agri-food
  • Trades, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors
  • Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions

If you are suitable for any of the new categories, understanding the job market of your category and the job vacancies per province will help you make an informed decision. Discover the Statistics Canada data about job vacancies in Canada (2022 Q4) and data by province and territory.

What were the criteria used to select the new categories?

The IRCC has selected the new categories to fill the open job positions across Canada because immigration is an effective way to lower the labor shortage in the country.

IRCC selected the new categories when the Minister participated in discussions after the legal requirements with the provinces and territories, members of unions, employers, injury, workers, worker advocacy groups, settlement provider organizations, and immigration researchers and practitioners.

Healthcare

Canada has undergone significantly high job vacancies in the Healthcare and Social Assistance category since the COVID-19 pandemic.

To fill the open positions in the healthcare sector, Canada mainly depends on immigration.

Notably, 36 % of physicians and a quarter of nurses are foreign-born.

This is why the IRCC is efforting to facilitate the immigration process for trained healthcare professionals. To illustrate, for physicians already serving in Canada on a temporary residency visa, IRCC is removing a few barriers.

In the fourth quarter of 2022 (2022 Q4), in the Healthcare and Social Assistance category, there were around 143,695 job vacancies, which was 6% of the job vacancies.

The job vacancies in the Healthcare and Social Assistance category per province were:

  • Ontario: 55,250
  • Quebec: 40,105
  • British Columbia: 17,705
  • Alberta: 9,770
  • Saskatchewan: 2,955
  • Manitoba: 6,790
  • Newfoundland: 2,250
  • Nova Scotia: 4,780
  • New Brunswick: 2,630
  • PEI: 685
  • Northwest Territories: 565

STEM professions

Professions in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, referred to as STEM professions, lie in the Professional, Scientific, and technical services category. In this sector, there were 56,915 job vacancies in Q4 2022, which was 4.6% of the total job vacancies.

The job vacancies in STEM professions per province were:

  • Ontario: 24,525
  • Quebec: 14,725
  • British Columbia: 8,115
  • Alberta: 5,515
  • Saskatchewan: 895
  • Manitoba: 630
  • Newfoundland: 405
  • New Brunswick: 595
  • Nova Scotia: 1,110
  • PEI: 200

The job vacancies for the territories in STEM professions are either unknown or there were no vacancies.

In Canada, the STEM professions are becoming popular and in demand. According to the last year’s November report by Statistics Canada, the high retirement rate and the utilization of evolving technology and automation in businesses and day-to-day life is causing a skill gap in Canada’s labor market.

Compared to other categories, many STEM professions provide a competitive wage. For instance, the average hourly wage offered in Q4 2022 was $35.80, which was comparatively much higher than the $16.35 wage in the Accommodation and Food Services category.

Trades

The wholesale and retail trades are considered in the trades category for the Statistics Canada data.

In Q4 2022, there were 30,930 job vacancies in the wholesale trades and 108,795 in the retail trades.

The job vacancies in the trade category per province were:

  • Ontario: 55,660
  • Quebec: 34,495
  • British Columbia: 19,215
  • Alberta: 15,545
  • Saskatchewan: 4,665
  • Manitoba: 3,025
  • Newfoundland: 895
  • New Brunswick: 2,155
  • Nova Scotia: 3,065
  • PEI: 520 (retail trade, no wholesale trade job vacancies)

Transport

There were 43,700 job vacancies in the transportation and warehousing category, which was 5% of the total vacancies.

As per the report, the job vacancy rate in the transport category has been dropping since the start of 2021.

The job vacancies in the transport category per province were:

  • Ontario: 15,110
  • Quebec: 7,950
  • British Columbia: 9,060
  • Alberta: 6,445
  • Saskatchewan: 915
  • Manitoba: 1,915
  • Newfoundland: 210
  • New Brunswick: 720
  • Nova Scotia: 1,055
  • PEI: 115

Agriculture and agri-food

According to the report, in Q4 2022, there were 10,535 job vacancies in the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting category, which was 3.9% of the total vacancies.

The job vacancy rate in this category has been falling since 2021, and it peaked in the Q2 of 2022 at 7.2%.

The job vacancies in this sector per province were:

  • Ontario: 3,070
  • Quebec: 1,950
  • British Columbia: 2,475
  • Alberta: 940
  • Saskatchewan: 540
  • Manitoba: 550
  • New Brunswick: 720
  • Nova Scotia: 425
  • PEI: 130

According to the Minister, inviting talented workers in the professions in these categories will help Canada welcome in-demand professionals throughout the nation.

The new Express Entry category-based draws are planned to start this summer. However, the exact date has not yet been revealed by the IRCC.