If you’re in the market for a new job (and perhaps a new city), Express Employment Professionals can offer some insight.
The company recently released its second annual list of the hottest job markets in the country – and the results may shock you.
“This year’s survey has again produced surprising results – finding hot job markets in traditionally higher unemployment regions,” said Bob Funk, CEO of Express Employment Professionals. “Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, has replaced Fort McMurray, Alberta, as the hottest job market in the country. We are also seeing a clear cooling of once overheated job markets in the West along with the more stable Eastern job markets.”
The 2015 results, outlined below, show an even split of the top 10 job markets between the two regions – a sign that a move to the Maritimes may not be such a bad idea after all. Last year, seven of the 10 hottest job markets in Canada were found in the Western region of the country.
So, what’s the hottest job market in the country? That designation goes to Saint-Hyacinthe in the Montérégie region of Quebec, southeast of Montreal. The region has a diverse economic base that includes a strong dairy community, Quebec’s largest agricultural fair, a community college, a biotech forestry plant, and a brand-new bio-methane plant.
Another Quebec municipality, Drummondville, takes the second spot while Grand Prairie, Alberta rounded out the top three.
While the actual number of jobs in these regions has not changed dramatically since last year, the rate of job availability per 1,000 people has held steady in comparison to the cooling job market in the West.
The 2014 hottest job market, Fort McMurray, Alberta (home of the oil sands), dropped from the top spot to No. 6 in 2015.
When it comes to larger cities (population 500,000-plus), four cities made the top 20 list; Edmonton (ranked 8th overall), Mississauga (10th), Vancouver (15th), and Calgary (19th).
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