If you live in Thunder Bay, Sudbury or Timmins, you have probably heard two stories about work this year. One says the North is booming. The other says young people still have to leave to find a decent job. The truth sits somewhere in between. The work is here, but it is concentrated in a few sectors, and the people getting hired are the ones who know where to look.
The numbers are better than many people think
Thunder Bay’s job market has quietly hit a high point. Lakehead University economist Livio Di Matteo, looking at Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey, noted that the city had 68,200 people employed in October 2025. That was up 2,100 from a year earlier, and it was the highest monthly total on record going back to 1987.
Not every job seeker feels it. Much of the growth sits in mining, health care and the skilled trades. If your experience lines up with one of those three, your odds are much better than the headlines suggest.
Mining needs people, and soon
Mining is the clearest example. The Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) says Canada’s mining sector could need to hire about 191,000 workers over the next decade. Retirements are a big part of that. MiHR’s senior labour market economist, Gustavo Jurado, pointed out last year that the share of mining workers under 25 has fallen from 12 per cent to six per cent over 35 years.
You can see it locally. In May, CTV News reported that the Timmins region needs to fill about 3,700 mining-related jobs by 2029. Collège Boréal has responded with a new civil and mining construction engineering technician program at its Timmins campus, starting this fall.
Not all of these jobs are underground. Mines need millwrights, heavy-duty mechanics, electricians, welders, environmental technicians, safety officers, cooks, drivers and office staff.
The trades are short everywhere
Skills Ontario officials told Northern Ontario Business this spring that mining companies across the North are scrambling to fill thousands of skilled trades positions. Ontario recognizes 144 skilled trades, and many of the in-demand ones offer paid apprenticeships. You earn while you learn.
If you’re unsure where to start, look at the trades that keep coming up in local hiring: industrial mechanics (millwrights), welders, heavy equipment technicians and electricians. They’re needed by mines, mills, hospitals, municipalities and construction firms alike, so you’re not betting on one employer.
Health care is hiring across the region
The second big gap is health care. Hospitals and long-term care homes across the North have struggled with staffing for years, and that pressure hasn’t gone away. Registered nurses, practical nurses and personal support workers are in steady demand, from Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre to small rural hospitals.
It’s not only clinical work. Health systems also hire administrators, medical office assistants, IT support, housekeeping, food services and maintenance staff.
A real option for newcomers
Northern Ontario also has a direct route for skilled newcomers. Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie and North Bay are among the 14 communities in the federal Rural Community Immigration Pilot. The pilot offers permanent residence to skilled workers with a job offer from an employer the community has designated. Applicants also need at least one year of related work experience in the past three years, a language test and proof of funds.
Each community sets its own priority occupations. Nursing roles appear on the lists for all five Northern Ontario communities, and trades like millwrights, welders and heavy-duty mechanics show up in several. If you’re on a work permit or planning a move, check your community’s list first.
How to search smarter in the North
A few habits will make your search easier this year:
- Follow the growth. Mining, health care and the trades are hiring more steadily than most other sectors right now.
- Translate your skills. A forestry mechanic, a retail manager or a construction labourer has more to offer a mine or hospital than they might think.
- Look past your own town. Many northern jobs come with fly-in, rotation or relocation support. Start with a broad look at jobs in Ontario on GetCanadianJob, then narrow down to the employers actually adding staff.
- Check health care listings often. Openings move fast. Browsing GetCanadianJob’s healthcare and nursing jobs every week will show you who is hiring.
- Talk to the colleges. Confederation College, Cambrian College, Northern College and Collège Boréal all run programs built with local employers. Many lead straight to work.
Northern Ontario has always rewarded people who are practical and willing to adapt. That’s still true in 2026-27. The jobs are here. They just tend to be in the places that keep the region running: the mines, the hospitals and the workshops.
