What happened
Canadian job seekers are starting 2026 with mixed feelings, as reported by Talent Canada, drawing on the Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll Job Seeker Report. The online survey covered 502 adults in Canada from Nov. 7 to 21, 2025.
About 72 per cent expect finding a job in the next six months to be difficult. That is close to six months earlier (74 per cent) but well above a year ago (62 per cent). Another 48 per cent say there are fewer opportunities in their field than a year ago.
Effort is cooling. Only 29 per cent say they are actively looking, down from 39 per cent last year, and 71 per cent are browsing without full commitment. Meanwhile, 39 per cent expect wages to rise in 2026, and 16 per cent would accept pay below their last level, up from 11 per cent.
Among employed job seekers, 41 per cent want to negotiate better compensation and 38 per cent want better work-life balance. Salary is important to 85 per cent, but only 56 per cent are satisfied with theirs. The gap on benefits is 10 points (74 per cent versus 64 per cent), and on work-life balance it is 5 points (79 per cent versus 74 per cent).
Why it matters if you are hiring
Candidates are nervous, so fewer are applying hard. That does not mean they are unreachable. Many are employed, watching the market and unhappy with pay. These are passive candidates, and they respond to a clear offer, not a posting that sits online.
The salary gap is the lever. If your range is competitive, say it in the posting and early in the first conversation. Candidates who fear a slow market will not wait through a long process, and they will not chase vague pay.
The same gaps apply to your own staff. Employed people who feel underpaid are watching for a move, which raises retention risk in roles that are hard to backfill. The survey also shows openness to contract work (28 per cent) and temporary or seasonal work (22 per cent), which helps if you need flexible capacity. Note that it is one survey of 502 people, so treat it as a signal, not a forecast for every role or region.
One thing to do this week
Pick your three hardest-to-fill or highest-risk roles and compare their pay ranges and benefits with current postings for similar work in your area. Where you are behind, decide now whether to adjust the range or sell the work-life and benefits side more clearly.
Traverse has placed operations, contract, finance, sales, technical and manufacturing people with employers across Canada since 1997, and we help employers reach the passive candidates who are not applying but would move for the right offer.