jobs in toronto

Toronto ranks high on list of most competitive job markets in the world

If you've found it particularly difficult to land a job in Toronto's ultra-competitive market lately, don't worry, it's not just you. 

A post-lockdown resurgence in high-demand jobs means employers usually have a vast pool of candidates to choose from, making an already stressful job hunt even more aggravating. 

Online resume builder, resume.io, recently analyzed job postings on LinkedIn to determine the cities with the highest job competition in the world. 

"With so many cover letters to polish and job sites to trawl, the job search is often stressful enough without thinking about the sheer number of people you may be up against for the same role," the article reads

To find out which cities had the most competitive job markets, the website calculated the average (mean) number of applicants that a job posting received within one week of being posted on LinkedIn jobs. The data was collected in February 2023. 

While Toronto didn't crack the global top 10 list for most competitive job markets, it did manage to come in 14th place overall, and #1 in Canada specifically, with a staggering 65.5 applicants within one week on the average job posting. 

Toronto had a more competitive job market than Milan (62.5 applicants), Chicago (49.6 applicants), Paris (38.5 applicants), Los Angeles (37 applicants), Shanghai (41.3 applicants), and Philadelphia (29 applicants).

Doha, Qatar, topped the global list, with job postings seeing an average of 399 applicants within one week. 

"Honing in on Canada, Toronto ranks as having the most competitive job market of any city in the country, with the average local job listing receiving 65.5 applications within one week," the article reads. 

"It's certainly a city that knows a thing or two about money — not only is Toronto one of the world's wealthiest cities based on the number of super-rich individuals that call it home, but it’s also the second-largest financial centre in North America. Not entirely surprising, then, that the third-largest share of the city's employed folk work in the finance industry." 

jobs in toronto

Source: resume.io.

In comparison with the rest of Canada, LinkedIn job postings in Calgary see an average of 24.5 applicants in one week, while Vancouver sees 47.1 applicants. Competition is much less aggressive in Markham (41.1 applicants), Brampton (40.8 applicants), Mississauga (36.6 applicants), and the lowest in Edmonton and Victoria (both 14.3 applicants). 

According to the website, the top 10 most competitive job markets in the world are: 

  1. Doha, Qatar 
  2. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  3. Istanbul, Turkey 
  4. Johannesburg, South Africa
  5. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 
  6. Madrid, Spain 
  7. San Jose, CA, United States 
  8. Buneos Aires, Argentina, 
  9. San Francisco, CA, United States 
  10. Tel-Aviv, Israel
Lead photo by

Fareen Karim


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

The former landmark HMV store on Yonge St. is getting a new tenant

Canadian Dental Care Plan expands to cover more services

Ontario drivers are so bad at using one road feature that police keep having to explain it

Abandoned century-old bridge in Toronto is finally being demolished

Several people injured in high-speed TTC crash overnight

Toronto neighbours build ghostly marriage proposal for Halloween

Upcoming job fairs where you can look for work in Toronto

Multiple Canadian companies just ranked among the world's best employers for women