RBC also noted that job postings “have changed little heading into July, suggesting hiring demand has continued to stabilize despite ongoing trade uncertainty.” For HR teams, that plateau suggests hiring plans are unlikely to shift sharply in either direction heading into fall workforce planning.
HR professionals should take note of Canada’s second straight month of economic growth, as broad-based gains across may be signalling tightening labour markets and rising hiring competition, recent Statistics Canada numbers (StatCan) showed.
Wage growth and employment composition
According to the RBC report, June’s employment increase was driven mainly by part-time positions, with full-time roles posting a more modest gain — a mix that carries implications for benefits eligibility and staffing models depending on an organization’s workforce composition.
Average hourly wage growth picked up slightly in June after slowing sharply in May, RBC said, but the economists cautioned that growth is likely to keep drifting lower given that labour market slack remains high by historical standards. That trend is one HR professionals may want to factor into 2027 compensation budget planning.
RBC pointed to a separate data source, Statistics Canada’s Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours, as showing a firmer picture than the more frequently cited Labour Force Survey. That survey showed employment up 95,000 this year through May, with hours worked tracking firm, RBC said, underscoring that different data sources can paint varying pictures of labour market strength.