Research
Environmental Job Market Trends
Job Posting Analysis: Data in real time
At ECO Canada, we continuously look for ways to deepen our understanding of the environmental job market and to improve the value of our reporting. Our Job Posting Analysis (JPA) interactive dashboard provides a snapshot of online recruitment activity levels and trends for Canadian environmental roles. We update our platform each quarter to share the most recent data, trends and insights by region, occupation, industry and environmental specialization.
2023 environmental job postings trends in review: the ebbs and flows of Canada’s environmental job market
Of the 2,038,910 online job postings advertised in 2023, 248,230 (12.2%) were considered environmental jobs. A look into the distribution of environmental job postings in 2023 shows that Q1 (January-March) had the highest number at 67,210 advertisements.
A year-on-year comparison shows an increase in environmental job ads from 2022 to 2023 by 4,228 (2% increase). A further look into 2023 shows much of the contribution to this increase occurred in Q1 (January-March) with 67,210 environmental job openings and Q3 (July-September) with 63,790 environmental job openings.
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Environmental job openings continue to grow across Canadian provinces and territories in 2023.
In 2023, the highest number of environmental job postings continued to be found in Canada’s four largest provinces – Ontario (75,070), British Columbia (55,930), Quebec (47,170), Alberta (33,740). These provinces accounted for 85% of Canada’s job postings.
A look at the growth in environmental job ads from 2022 to 2023 shows increases in Alberta by 13%, Saskatchewan by 27%, and Manitoba by 23%. The Territories experienced varying increases in environmental job ads from 2022 to 2023, with the highest increase in Northwest Territories (13%).
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Civil engineers and professional, scientific, and technical services accounted for the highest number of environmental job postings in 2023
The occupation with the highest number of job postings in 2023 was civil engineering, with 13,900 job postings. The biologists and related scientists’ occupation saw the most considerable growth in the number of environmental job advertisements, with an increase of 1,490 postings from 2022 to 2023. On the other hand, geological and mineral technologists and technicians saw the most significant decrease in job postings from 2022, with 3,650 fewer job postings.
The top industry for environmental job postings from 2022 to 2023 was professional, scientific, and technical services, with 56,640 environmental job ads in 2023. However, this industry also saw a significant decrease in environmental job postings since 2022, with 24% fewer advertisements in 2023 (17,420 decrease).
Educational services saw the next highest number of environmental job postings in 2023, with 28,680 postings, an increase of 6,960 from 2022 (24% increase).
Sustainability specializations maintain their position as the leading specialization in demand from 2022 to 2023
The sustainability specialization saw the most significant number of environmental job postings in 2023 (146,505) and environmental job ads from 2022 (9% increase, amounting to 12,530 postings). Environmental specializations showing an upward trend in job postings from 2022 to 2023 include energy, fisheries & wildlife management, natural resource management, communications & public awareness, and policy & legislation.
ECO Canada’s environmental job posting analysis is powered by TalentNeuron.
The opinions and interpretations in this publication are ECO Canada’s and do not necessarily reflect those held by the Government of Canada.
