Roles to watch in August 2025 - The Monthly Pulse
August analysis of labour market news - The Monthly Pulse
Write to: Minh Dang mdang@staffingjournal.ca
As we analyzed about a 100 labour market-related news from August, we put together a list of roles in demand to watch, based on events observed in the press lately.
In a nutshell, August’s labour market signals show steady, durable hiring in construction and infrastructure, acute shortages in healthcare, and renewed demand in public administration and security forces. For agencies and employers, the sweet spots are:
Skilled trades tied to multi-year projects.
Medical and social care professionals amid chronic shortages.
Entry-level hospitality and retail workers for churn replacement.
Specialized engineers and technicians in aerospace, clean tech, and utilities.
Below is the full analysis per industry code:
Construction & Skilled Trades
Driven by long-term infrastructure and housing projects (roads in Quebec, water treatment in Manitoba, recreation centres in Yukon, apartment builds in B.C., and municipal works across the country).
Roles:
Civil engineers and project managers
Heavy equipment operators
Carpenters, masons, and general construction labourers
Electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians
Surveyors and estimators
Healthcare & Social Assistance
Persistent shortages (Nova Scotia ER closures, Alberta pilot using virtual ER doctors, Quebec veterinary deficit, nationwide shortage of family physicians). New facilities (Calgary drug treatment centre, shelters in Rouyn-Noranda and Manitoba).
Roles:
Family physicians and emergency room doctors
Nurses and nurse practitioners
Veterinarians (esp. Quebec)
Childcare educators (with New Brunswick’s pay boost)
Social workers and shelter support staff
Public Administration & Security
Federal government investment in Canadian Armed Forces (8–20% pay hikes, thousands of vacancies), CBSA hiring students, Fredericton police rebuilding ranks.
Roles:
Military recruits (all trades, mechanics, logistics, IT, aviation, medical)
Border services officers (entry-level, student)
Police officers and law-enforcement trainees
Firefighters (including Yukon’s new Women on Wildfires program)
Manufacturing & Industrial Innovation
Mixed signals: layoffs at Arbec Forest Products, but automation and expansion at Max-Atlas, Canarm, BNG Éco Modulaire, and Red Deer Polytechnic pilot projects.
Roles:
CNC machinists and automation technicians
Industrial mechanics and millwrights
Process engineers and R&D staff
Quality assurance and safety specialists
General labourers in modular and panel manufacturing
Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities
Expansions in public transit, air travel, and intercity buses; Site C hydro completion; regional hydro and utility upgrades; cruise traffic in the North.
Roles:
Bus and transit operators (electric bus training in B.C.)
Airline and airport ground staff (pending labour disputes)
Heavy truck and delivery drivers
Logistics coordinators and schedulers
Powerline technicians, utility operators, renewable-energy techs
Natural Resources & Agriculture
Strong blueberry crop in New Brunswick, forestry harvests in B.C. (salvage and timber auctions), oil & gas permits in Saskatchewan, TerraFixing’s carbon tech funding.
Roles:
Seasonal agricultural workers (harvest, processing)
Forestry technicians and logging equipment operators
Petroleum engineers and geologists (Saskatchewan)
Environmental scientists and carbon-capture engineers
Trades for hydro and mining maintenance
Retail, Food & Hospitality
Churn of openings/closings in B.C. and Quebec (cafés, restaurants, grocery stores reopening). Hilton adds jobs in Bromont.
Roles:
Restaurant staff (chefs, servers, kitchen managers)
Retail associates and store managers
Hotel front desk and housekeeping
Franchise operations managers
Entry-level hospitality workers (continuous demand due to turnover)
Technology, Education & Emerging Sectors
Clean tech (TerraFixing, Bitzero), aerospace (NordSpace’s spaceport in NL), literacy programs in B.C., new EV training in Quebec.
Roles:
Aerospace engineers and launch technicians
Software and systems engineers (esp. in energy/crypto)
Carbon-capture and clean-tech researchers
Adult educators and literacy instructors
EV mechanics and training instructors