Some Canadians job-hopping to double-digit pay boost amid labour shortage

September 13, 2021

If your paycheque hasn’t seen a meaningful boost in some time, now may be the time to look around for a new gig.

Canada, which shed 3 million jobs at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, is now a workers’ labour market, a number of recruiting professionals told Global News. And the prize for job switchers is often double-digit pay increases.

“It’s a market unlike anything I’ve ever seen before,” says Toronto-based Travis O’Rourke, president of Hays Recruitment Canada, who’s been in the business for 15 years.

In a typical jobs market, a company would often have three top candidates to choose from to fill a position. Right now, though, the tables have turned. It’s been common for a single qualified candidate to receive offers from three different employers eager to fill vacancies, according to O’Rourke.

Source: Global News