Which City Has the Most Job Opportunities in Canada?

The Canadian economy is booming. The competitiveness of the economy has yielded a surplus of job opportunities that in combination with the highly educated workforce that avoids menial labor has resulted in excess job posts needing to be filled across the country.

For those planning to immigrate to Canada and are presented with the choice of which city or town to immigrate to, the foremost determining question would revolve around life opportunities, particularly job opportunities.

By researching current trends in Canadian unemployment levels and the proliferation of job posts put up on Canada’s most trusted job sites, we determined which city has the most job opportunities in Canada.

Which City has the Most Job Opportunities in Canada?

With 70, 000 new jobs added to British Columbia’s economy in the past few months combined with a low unemployment rate, it’s safe to say that the province currently has the most job opportunities to offer newcomers - especially in its fifth-largest city, Abbotsford-Mission that boasts the lowest unemployment rate of all major cities in Canada.

About Abbotsford-Mission, British Columbia

Abbotsford is a large city east of Vancouver. It’s famous for its agri-activities, low housing costs, cheap gas, and the University of British Columbia. It’s also home to the third-highest population of immigrants after Toronto and Vancouver.

Many Filipino, Korean, and Spanish immigrants choose to settle in the city. The biggest industries in Abbotsford are agriculture, manufacturing, aerospace, and, surprisingly, the film industry. The city attracts lots of filming projects and is affectionately known as Abbywood.

Abbotsford experienced the lowest job loss during the pandemic of all major cities. This could be because many residents are employed in the large agri-food sector that provides a diverse selection of food products globally, including wine and seafood.

A wide range of jobs is available in British Columbia, particularly technology, healthcare, education, agriculture, and intermediate-skilled occupations like receptionists, truck drivers, and machine operators. Explore a complete list of in-demand occupations in British Columbia for immigration purposes.

Which Jobs are In-Demand in Canada?

CanadianVisa, with the assistance of licensed and authorized Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs) who liaise with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to stay informed of current Canadian immigration trends, has compiled a list of the most in-demand jobs in Canada.

List of the most in-demand jobs in Canada in 2023 per province.

Map of the most in-demand jobs in Canada


Top 10 Companies Hiring in Abbotsford, B.C

British Columbia is known as the new silicon valley, and for this reason, it’s no surprise that the biggest employers in Abbotsford are tech companies like Microsoft and Apple. The University of British Columbia employs more than 10, 000 workers in the city. On the other hand, thousands of farms operating in Abbotsford employ over 7, 000 agri-workers. Many of the agri-workers are employed through the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot.

Here are the major companies in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

 Major companies in Abbotsford, B.C
1. University of British Columbia
2. SAP
3. Fortinet
4. Vancouver Coastal Health
5. Microsoft
6. Lululemon
7. Cactus Club Cafe
8. Paladin Security Group
9. Taisuco Canada Agriculture Corporation
10. Apple

How to Move to Canada

To work in Canada with a work permit, you must first secure a job offer for temporary employment in Canada. Many great job sites, such as Indeed, Monster Canada, and eJobbo, have thousands of jobs currently listed.

Discover Alternative Visa Options

Canada has more than 100 different immigration and visa programs - possibly the most of any other country! For this reason, it can be tricky to narrow down your best options to work in Canada. Some of these programs may not even require obtaining a valid job offer.

Here at Canadian Visa, our online visa eligibility evaluation fine-combs over 100 Canadian immigration and visa programs to find the right one for you.

Apply With the Help of Professionals

Choosing to work in Canada with the help of certified consultants means that you’ll receive tailored advice on which program is best for you based on your needs and goals, but all your paperwork will be taken care of. Your final application will be optimized and submitted by seasoned professionals.

How to Work in Canada

The following programs are the most readily available, accessible, and fastest means of immigrating to Canada.

Express Entry

The Express Entry system is the fastest way to immigrate to Canada. The immigration application processing times can be as fast as six months if the applicant adheres to all application procedures, i.e., deadlines and supporting documentation.

If applicants pass the eligibility test by meeting the qualifying criteria, they can create an express entry profile by registering an account online with Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Once you’ve created your profile, based on your evaluated eligibility test results, you can apply for the Federal Skilled Workers Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and Canadian Experience Class.

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

Provincial Nominee programs are programs created for and conducted by Canada’s provinces to meet their in-demand needs with regard to labor, knowledge skills, and work experience. Should prospective immigrants meet the qualifying criteria for the in-demand jobs advertised in a particular province, they can submit an expression of interest (EOI) for that job.

Should the province reciprocate your interest, they will send you an invitation to apply (Invitation to Apply), which you will receive via a notification on your registered IRCC account. From then on, it is recommended that you engage the services of an immigration consultancy company like CanadianVisa that can guide you through accepting and applying for that particular Provincial Nominee program.

Work Permit

Work permits are needed to immigrate to and enter Canada legally. Depending on the duration of your stay in Canada, temporary or permanent, and the nature of your employment, you will need to apply for a work visa permit. There are primarily two work permit types for Canadian immigration: open work permits and employer-specific work permits.

  • Open work permit: open work permits allows immigrant recipients to live and work anywhere in Canada. It is mostly associated with immigrants who gained permanent residency through Express Entry programs and IEC Working holiday.
  • employer-specific (closed) work permit: allows recipients to live and work in Canada only at the specified location of their employer. Mostly associated with Provincial Nominee programs.

For a more comprehensive breakdown of the application process for a work visa, here's how to apply for a Canada work visa.

Working Holiday

International Experience Canada (IEC) offers a Working Holiday visa program for people who want to immigrate to Canada for travel and work. The work permit lasts for 1 to 2 programs and is primarily aimed at youth from countries with a youth mobility program.

How to Ensure you can Work in Canada?

Above all, the one thing you must ensure you are aware of as a prospective immigrant to Canada is your eligibility to apply for the various immigration programs offered by IRCC. By doing so you can avoid wasting your time and incurring unnecessary consultation fees.

Lastly, always ensure that you are in contact with a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) so you can use them as a facilitator and guide to expedite the progress of your application.

FAQs

What are the Most Expensive Canadian Cities?

In general, Toronto, Ontario, and Montreal, Quebec, are the two most expensive Canadian cities.

Is it Cheaper to Live in Rural or Urban Canada?

Rural Canada is generally cheaper to live in than urban Canada.

How High is the General Standard of Living in Canada?

Canada is ranked as having one of the highest standards of living in the world, as evidenced by their high human development index of: 0.936.