The hiring challenges that gripped Canada’s trucking and logistics industry in 2022 and 2023 have continued to ease in 2025, with new data from Trucking HR Canada (THRC) showing an increased supply of job seekers and reduced demand for workers.
Employment across the sector in the second quarter of 2025 was basically unchanged from the same period last year, down just 0.2%, but higher than in Q1 this year. And while employment among transport truck drivers fell 1.1% in Q2 compared to same time in 2024, it increased by 6,500 compared to the previous quarter.
Overall, 11,600 more people were looking for work in the sector compared to Q2 2024, including 2,800 more truck drivers. Yet, THRC says job vacancy data for the first quarter shows fewer positions that employers are actively seeking to fill.
“For employers, this potentially means there is a greater pool of workers to recruit from,” says Craig Faucette, chief program officer of Trucking HR Canada in a news release. “This provides employers with an opportunity to build their workforces with the skilled workers needed to drive business growth.”
In trucking, the share of jobs with openings fell from 5.3% in Q1 2024 to 4.1% in 2025, and from 4.6% to 3.5% for truck drivers — a decline of 3,680 positions, or 24%. This drove the unemployment rate across the trucking and logistics sector to rise from 4.3% in Q2 2024 to 5.7% in Q2 2025, and from 4.5% to 5.3% for transport truck drivers.
While vacancy rates for truck drivers remain above the national average of 2.8% across all industries, THRC says the drop reflects easing hiring pressures in the sector.
