Top Employment Sectors for Immigrants in Canada highlights of the key career fields that actively hire and support immigrant populations and foreign workers. Settling in Canada long-term often requires securing employment. Whether you plan to work while studying or aim to fully integrate into the workforce as a foreign worker, understanding the major job sectors in the country can help you identify where you might fit in professionally and what opportunities may be available upon your arrival.
Canada’s Top industries are categorized under the following main sectors:
• Service Industry
• Manufacturing Industry
• Natural Resources
• Mining and Agriculture
The Service Industry
The service industry is the most encompassing key job industry in Canada with many other sectors branching from it. Main divisions under the service industry include:
• Healthcare Services
• Educational Services
• Retail and Wholesale
• Culture and Tourism
• Hospitality
• Entertainment
• Transportation and Logistics
• Real Estate
• Environmental Sustainability
• Information and Communication Technology
• Banking and Finance
The service industry encompasses numerous smaller sectors, making it the largest employer in Canada and accounting for 70% of all jobs in the country. This industry is highly inclusive, as it welcomes workers with diverse levels of education and experience.
Both skilled and unskilled individuals have opportunities to find employment within this expansive field, and the demand for workers continues to grow as Canada’s population increases steadily.
Unlike other major industries that rely heavily on the natural resources available in specific regions, the service industry operates across all provinces and territories. Employment opportunities in this sector are not limited to a particular geographic area, though the highest concentration of service jobs is found in Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs).
Among the various sectors within the service industry, healthcare services stand out as the largest employer in recent years and also offer some of the highest average hourly wages. Over the past few years, Canada has focused on expanding and improving its healthcare system. The country has actively recruited and continues to recruit qualified foreign professionals to work in healthcare roles. This effort has significantly contributed to the recent surge in immigration.
Many people believe that securing a job in Canada as a healthcare worker is more likely than in any other profession, and this assumption has consistently proven accurate.
The Manufacturing Industry
Canada’s manufacturing industry supports nearly 1.8 million jobs, if not more. In the past, the sector primarily required competent workers to perform labor-intensive tasks on shifts. However, recent and rapid advancements in the industry have shifted the demand toward more high-skilled, technology-driven roles. Today, professionals such as engineers, data analysts, marketers, and programmers are among the most sought-after in this field.
The manufacturing industry has faced a shortage of workers due to Canada’s rapidly growing population, which has increased the demand for goods and the need to export more manufactured products. To address this challenge, Canada has introduced various incentives to attract both local and foreign workers to the sector. Some of these incentives include:
• Canada Loan to Apprentice
• Apprenticeship Incentive Grant
• Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit
The Natural Resource
Canada is richly endowed with abundant natural resources, and the country has effectively leveraged them for economic growth. The oil and gas sector, in particular, has been a significant contributor to Canada’s prosperity, with about 40% of global companies in this industry based in Alberta.
This sector also boasts the highest average hourly wages in the country. To sustain its operations, the oil and gas industry actively recruits professionals such as engineers, miners, geoscientists, and researchers.
Canada’s key natural resources include water, oil and gas, uranium, gold, silver, copper, diamonds, and natural gas.
Among the provinces, Nova Scotia stands out as the most resource-rich, leading in clean energy production and providing numerous jobs in this field. Additionally, its vast forest reserves create employment opportunities in areas like paper production and environmental conservation.
Mining and Agriculture
Closely linked to the natural resource sector are mining and agriculture. Thanks to its abundant deposits of natural resources, Canada continues to rely on a skilled workforce to transform these raw materials into finished products.
This industry is further divided into the following categories:
• Mining of natural Resources
• Production of Energy
• Fishing
• Forestry and Wildlife
• Farming
The importance of the mining and agricultural sectors in providing employment in Canada cannot be overstated. The country actively extracts resources such as uranium, nickel, potash, and diamonds, and consistently seeks professionals in this field. Key roles in demand include mineral extraction and processing, computer technology (such as programming and data analysis), developmental research, and information management, among others.
British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Quebec are the leading regions for mining employment, contributing about three-quarters of all mined products in Canada. Notably, the average hourly wages in the mining sector are competitive with those in healthcare and may soon surpass them.
Canada is also one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of agricultural products. Farming has been a cornerstone of livelihood for many Canadians for generations. Today, the agricultural sector has become even more efficient through mechanized farming and the use of genetically enhanced seeds and livestock.
Both crop and livestock farming are thriving in the country, with coastal areas particularly known for fishing as a major occupation. Canada’s primary crop outputs include wheat, oats, flax, and canola, while its vast forest reserves support timber production and pulp for paper manufacturing.
Canada’s key industries are not evenly distributed across the country. The types of services and industries present in each province depend on factors such as:
• Availability of natural resources
• Sea Proximity
• Resident Population
• Fertility of the Soil
Certain industries provide essential services and are present in all provinces, though they are more developed in some regions than others. Canada, as a nation, maintains a relatively low unemployment rate, averaging around 8 to 10% annually.
However, recent increases in unemployment can be attributed to the growing replacement of human labor with technology. In response, Canada is prioritizing the employment of individuals with technological expertise or at least basic computer skills.
Despite these changes, there are still numerous jobs that have not been fully automated by robots or machines. Additionally, with Canada’s population steadily growing while remaining relatively underpopulated, there will continue to be a demand for more workers to meet the needs of its residents
