A new study on labor markets in Canada shows the difference in the number of applicants you usually have to compete with to get a job in certain cities across the country.

The study conducted by recruitment experts at Resume.io included the most competitive labor markets for job seekers worldwide.

The study analyzed job advertisements on LinkedIn and counted the number of people applying for local jobs on average within one week of the posting being listed on the employment site.

Among all the places in Canada considered, the city of Toronto stood out as having the most competitive labor market anywhere in the country by a wide margin.

The number of applications on LinkedIn reaches about 65 applications from job seekers within just one week.

According to Resume.io, one of the reasons for the high number of job applications is that salaries are approximately 14% higher than the average earnings across Canada.

It is also likely that the higher earnings are linked to the increased cost of living that comes with being in the GTA, and that population density is also responsible for some higher application rates.

In addition, the minimum wage in the province is scheduled to rise from $15.50 per hour to $16.55 per hour on October 1, 2023.

What about other Canadian cities?

When it comes to the status of other Canadian cities in this study, there is a significant drop in the average number of job applications after Toronto.

LinkedIn job postings in Vancouver receive about 47 applications, while there are 41 applications on average for jobs in Markham, 40 for jobs in Brampton, and 36 for jobs in Mississauga.

The study also revealed that cities with less competitive labor markets – at least compared to Toronto – are Edmonton and Victoria, where job postings on LinkedIn in those places receive an average of 14 applications.

What about cities around the world?

If you wonder where the most competitive labor market in the world is, this title goes to the Qatari capital Doha according to Resume.io.

About 399 people apply on average for a job posted on LinkedIn within just one week.

Alongside Doha which ranks first globally, Dubai stands at 282, Istanbul 168, Johannesburg 160, Abu Dhabi 148, Madrid 115, Buenos Aires 104, San Francisco 91.

However, Resume.io data shows that Toronto's labor market is more competitive than London, which receives 19 applicants per job within a week, and Sydney, which gets 50 applicants per job per week, even though both places are the most competitive cities in their countries.