Roles to watch in October 2025 - The Monthly Press Review
September analysis of labour market news - The Monthly Pulse
Across Canada, labour market signals this month paint a complex but revealing picture: healthcare systems under pressure, housing projects accelerating, universities expanding, and trade-exposed industries facing headwinds. Taken together, these stories hint at where new opportunities and new shortages will likely emerge in the coming months.
Education and Training: A Sector in Expansion but Stretched Thin
Providence University College’s $20-million renovation plan in Manitoba and its bid for full university status underscores the growing demand for higher education programs, including a new agriculture stream. Meanwhile, Nova Scotia’s expansion of its Before and After Program is expected to create 1,200 new childcare spots, though severe staffing shortages may slow progress. In the Northwest Territories, housing shortages are directly limiting the ability to recruit teachers, leaving dozens of students without classrooms.
These developments confirm a dual trend: while funding and infrastructure are expanding, the supply of trained educators, from early childhood to post-secondary, remains insufficient. Early childhood educators, teachers in rural and northern communities, and university faculty are roles to watch closely, with staffing firms likely being called upon to bridge gaps quickly.
Health Care: Persistent Shortages, Targeted Solutions
Healthcare pressures remain acute across the provinces. Newfoundland and Labrador is grappling with a shortage of medical laboratory assistants, leading to cancelled bloodwork appointments. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick continue to innovate through expanded childcare health services and interjurisdictional nurse licensure programs but vacancies persist.
At the same time, new facilities are opening: Airdrie’s community health centre in Alberta, Dartmouth’s 144-bed long-term care home, and New Glasgow’s multi-disciplinary health centre are recruiting across the spectrum, from physicians and nurse practitioners to pharmacists, dietitians, and administrative staff. Nursing roles, laboratory technicians, and allied health professionals stand out as the most critical near-term recruitment needs.
Housing and Construction: Accelerated Builds, Skilled Labour Crunch
The federal government’s new $13-billion Build Canada Homes initiative, which aims to double housing construction, is sparking a wave of provincial and municipal projects. From Nunavut’s 700 new homes to Montreal’s $320-million Namur-Hippodrome development, housing is once again the country’s economic lever. Halifax, however, illustrates the challenge: record levels of apartment construction are straining the pool of experienced tradespeople.
Carpenters, electricians, and project managers remain in high demand, with labour shortages now a limiting factor rather than financing or permitting alone. Staffing firms with strong pipelines in the skilled trades will be central to whether these ambitious housing targets are met.
Industry and Innovation: From Mines to Manufacturing
On the industrial front, Canada’s critical minerals strategy is generating momentum. The Highland Valley Copper mine extension in B.C. promises 200 permanent jobs and nearly 3,000 construction roles, while a federal pilot in the Northwest Territories is harnessing AI to scan historic drill samples. Manufacturing is also in motion, from Les Entreprises JPC’s $4.5-million metal structures plant to AI-enabled food-tech ventures in British Columbia.
These projects are creating demand for engineers, geologists, skilled tradespeople, and AI specialists alike. They also show how industrial investment is broadening beyond extraction into digital innovation, opening opportunities for hybrid roles that blend traditional industry with advanced technology.
Retail, Food, and Hospitality: Mixed Signals
The retail and hospitality sectors continue to deliver a patchwork of openings and closures. Kelowna’s Women’s Shelter thrift store and several new restaurants in Vancouver and Calgary signal entrepreneurial growth, while layoffs at Mayrand Plus in Drummondville and fire-related closures in Sherbrooke highlight the fragility of service-based employment.
The volatility suggests ongoing turnover in food service and retail roles. Staffing firms should expect both temporary layoffs and urgent rehiring needs, often within the same communities.
Public Sector and Community Services: Localized Shifts
Municipalities and provinces are experimenting with workforce strategies: Nova Scotia recruiting snowplow operators, Charlottetown raising its tourism levy to fund events, and Manitoba prioritizing local labour in school construction. These moves suggest steady demand for government services, from snow removal to infrastructure projects, though hiring challenges are particularly acute in seasonal and rural roles.
The Big Picture: Demand Outpaces Supply
What emerges from this month’s news is a clear imbalance: large-scale funding and investment programs are flowing into housing, healthcare, and education, yet the workforce to deliver on these ambitions remains thin. Staffing firms that can mobilize across these pressure points, especially in healthcare, skilled trades, and education, will be in a prime position to support governments, institutions, and businesses.
The roles to watch in the months ahead will not just be those newly created by expansion, but also those already stretched thin by shortages. In Canada’s current labour market, filling the gaps is just as critical as fueling the growth.
Write to: Minh Dang mdang@staffingjournal.ca