Canada is one of the top countries of choice for people looking to immigrate, settle and build a career afresh. However, not every city or region in Canada is friendly for job seekers; you still have to do your research to determine which cities are best to migrate into and start your job search. This is the same even for current residents of Canada who are looking to move to another city (usually in search of better living conditions) and hence, would want to get new employment in their new destination cities.
Thankfully, The Bank of Montreal (BMO) carries out regional labor market surveys annually across Canada and ranks cities, regions, and provinces in Canada according to the state of the labor markets in these areas. The latest of such surveys, which was published around the middle of the year (2019), just in time for that period of the year when job searches in the country are intensified.
According to the report, employment stats are improving generally in Canada, with a job employment increase of around 110,600 in the third quarter of the year, which is an advancement over the same period in the 2018 version of the survey. Brantford, a city in the Ontario province came out on top, while Windsor, a city in the same province was reported as one of the worst cities in Canada to find a job.
The ranking is based on several factors, among which are employment rates, unemployment rates, and population. Below are the top ten cities for job seekers in Canada.
1. Brantford – Ontario
Brantford, a city in the province of Ontario, is the best city for job seekers in Canada, thanks to its low unemployment rate of 3.6% and a high employment rate of 67.7%. Ironically, Brantford was ranked 31st when the same survey was taken in 2018, and the city has risen to claim the top spot, thanks to an employment increase of 17.3% over 12 months, and an unemployment rate change of -2.2 also over the past 12 months.
2. Ottawa – Ontario
Ottawa, another city in the Ontario province, is one of the best cities to find a job in Canada, due to employment and unemployment rates of 67.7% and 4.4% respectively. The city had an unemployment rate change of -0.2 over 12 months and saw an employment increase of 8.3% over a one-year period.
3. Kelowna – British Columbia
An unemployment rate of 4.1%, employment rate of 64.6%, unemployment rate change of -1.6 (one-year period) and employment increase of 5.7% (one-year period) saw Kelowna, a city in the British Columbia province, take the third spot on the list.
4. Quebec City – Quebec
Placed in the fourth spot is Quebec City from the Quebec province, with employment rates of 67%, an employment increase of 2.7%, unemployment rates of 3% and an unemployment rate change of -0.9.
5. Calgary – Alberta
Calgary, a city in the Alberta province of Western Canada, is also a good place to find a job in the country, with employment rates and an annual increase of 68.8% and 6.1%, and unemployment rates and annual rate change of -1 and 7.1%, respectively.
6. Saskatoon – Saskatchewan
Employment rates of 65.2%, employment increase of 2.8%, unemployment rates of 5.8% and unemployment rate changes of -1.5 make Saskatoon a decent city to find a job in Canada.
7. Abbotsford – British Columbia
Abbotsford, the second city from the province of British Columbia on the top 10 list, gained favorable stats to put it on the list, including an employment rate of 63.1%, employment increase of 4.7%, unemployment rates of 5.0% and unemployment rate change of -0.2.
8. Halifax – Nova Scotia
Employment rates and increases of 64.7% and 3.5% respectively, and unemployment rates and rate changes of 5.7% and -0.9 respectively make sure that Halifax, a city in the Nova Scotia province finds a spot on this list.
9. Victoria – British Columbia
Victoria, the capital city of the British Columbia province, has employment rates of 61.3%, an annual employment increase of 0.4%, unemployment rates of 3.2% and an unemployment rate change of -0.7. These statistics make it one of the best cities to get jobs in Canada.
10. Toronto – Ontario
Toronto is one of the largest cities in Canada and the capital of the Ontario province, but high costs of living have pushed it to the bottom of this list. However, with an employment rate of 63.1%, employment increase of 5%, unemployment rates of 5.8% and unemployment rate change of -0.3 in the past 12 months, it’s still one of the best Canadian cities for job seekers.
