Volumes of admin and customer service roles are still not recovering. Sales roles are growing.
Job posting analysis
Write to: Minh Dang mdang@staffingjournal.ca
The latest job posting data reveal a mixed picture in the Canadian labor market, with certain roles struggling to regain momentum even as others inch closer to recovery.
Administrative and customer service positions remain stuck well below pre-pandemic levels, showing no signs of improvement in recent months. Employers appear hesitant to expand hiring in these areas, reflecting broader shifts in how companies structure support functions and customer-facing operations.
The absence of growth suggests that demand for these roles may have plateaued, even as the broader economy stabilizes.
Sales roles tell a slightly different story. Job postings in this category have risen in recent weeks, signaling a renewed push by companies to boost revenue through direct customer engagement. Still, the gains have not been strong enough to close the gap: postings for sales positions remain about 20% below where they stood before the pandemic. This underscores the cautious stance employers continue to take when adding headcount in roles tied closely to market conditions and consumer demand.
The uneven recovery highlights the way labor demand is being reshaped across industries. Companies are showing more appetite for growth-oriented functions like sales but remain restrained in back-office and service roles, which could indicate longer-term structural changes in staffing priorities.
For workers, this divergence points to an increasingly competitive market in administrative and customer service fields, while those in sales may see improving, though still limited, opportunities ahead.