THUNDER BAY – BUSINESS – The Canadian job market is flashing mixed signals—and job seekers are recalibrating fast. A new Express Employment Professionals–Harris Poll survey shows 80% of job seekers believe employers have the upper hand, while 72% feel pressure to settle for roles below their qualifications. Concern about a possible recession is also reshaping negotiations: 62% say they’re less willing to bargain over salary or benefits.
While 38% are actively looking for a new role, optimism is fading. 74% expect job hunting to be harder over the next six months (up from 62% in fall 2024). More than half (56%) say there are fewer openings in their field than a year ago (vs. 46% in fall 2024), and 42% now expect their search to take longer than six months—a clear signal of growing anxiety.
The Biggest Hurdles
Job seekers report three primary pain points:
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54%: finding roles that match their qualifications
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48%: standing out in a crowded field
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46%: securing a job fast enough to cover expenses
Compounding barriers include lack of skills (43%), being overqualified (32%), concerns that some firms are collecting résumés without hiring (29%), and employers waiting on policy outcomes (25%).
Flexibility Becomes Strategy
Facing uncertainty, 82% are changing tactics: becoming more open to different work environments (35%), applying above/below their level (30%), looking outside their industry (28%), willing to relocate (28%) or accept longer commutes (20%). Notably, 18% are open to lower salaries, and 10% would accept less than their most recent pay.
Why People Are Leaving—and What They Fear
Top motivators for switching jobs include career advancement (41%), better pay (38%), and work–life balance (36%). Still, worries linger: fewer opportunities (47%), lower pay (45%), rising competition (40%), job insecurity after hire (39%), and worse/fewer benefits (36%).
Thunder Bay & Northwest Outlook
For employers in Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario, the data suggests a window to fill chronic skills gaps—especially in health care, trades, logistics, forestry, mining support, hospitality, and tech enablement—by offering clear progression paths, transparent pay, skills training, and flexible scheduling. For job seekers, broadening the search radius, stacking certifications/micro-credentials, and leveraging staffing firms may shorten the time to hire and surface roles that don’t always hit public job boards.
Survey methodology: Online survey of 503 Canadian adults (June 12–27, 2025) by The Harris Poll for Express Employment Professionals.
