Top Skills in Demand by Industry
Different types of jobs require different abilities and qualifications. In the charts below you will see what skills and certifications are important for various industries. Skills are grouped as:
To view skills in demand by an occupational group visit our occupation page. For other industry trends check out the Industry Trends page.
General Observations in 2025:
In the Utilities industry and Finance and insurance industry, most job postings (99%) mentioned occupational skills needed, while the lowest demand was in Educational Services (62%).
Social-emotional skills were mentioned the most in Information and cultural industries (100%) and Utilities and Finance and insurance (99%). All other industries wanted these skills at least 86% of the time.
Professional, technical, and scientific services and Utilities mentioned technologies the most (56%), while arts, entertainment, and recreation and Retail trade mentioned them the least (14%).
Manufacturing (31%), Construction (29%), and Real estate and rental and leasing (28%) mentioned tools and equipment the most.
Health care and social assistance mentioned certifications the most (29%).
Accommodation and Food Services
This sector includes businesses that provide places for people to stay for a short time. This can include hotels, motels, resorts, bed and breakfasts, cottages, cabins, campgrounds, RV parks, and hunting or fishing camps. These places may also offer extra services to make a guest’s stay more comfortable.
It also includes businesses that make and serve food and drinks. This can be restaurants, cafés, and other places where people order meals, snacks, or beverages to eat there or take away.
In this industry, being good with people is important. Almost all job postings (97%) mention needing social-emotional skills.
Occupational skills for the job are mentioned in 90% of postings.
Technologies (27%) and tools and equipment (14%) are mentioned less often.
Certifications are only mentioned in 6% of job postings.
Here are the top skills they are looking for in each category:
Administrative Support, Waste Management and Remediation Services
This sector includes two main types of businesses.
The first type helps other businesses with their daily work. They may do office tasks, hire staff, prepare documents, take customer orders, collect payments, arrange travel, provide security, clean buildings, or package and label products. Many companies do these tasks themselves, but businesses in this sector specialize in them and provide these services to many different industries and sometimes to households.
The second type focuses on waste management. These businesses collect garbage and recycling, treat and dispose of waste, run recycling facilities, clean up polluted sites, and empty and clean septic tanks.
In this industry, being good with people is important. Most job postings (87%) mention needing social-emotional skills.
Occupational skills are mentioned in 88% of postings.
They do not often mention specific technologies (23%) or tools (23%).
Certifications are rarely mentioned (4%).
Here are the top skills they are looking for in each category:
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation
This sector includes businesses and organizations that provide culture, entertainment, and recreation. They run places and offer services that help people enjoy their free time.
This can include live shows, concerts, festivals, and exhibits that people can attend. It also includes the artists, performers, and technical workers who help create these events.
Some organizations collect and display items or protect places that are important to history, culture, or learning, such as museums and historic sites.
This sector also includes places where people can play sports, take part in recreational activities, enjoy hobbies, or have fun in their free time.
In this industry, being good with people is important. Almost all job postings (95%) mention needing social-emotional skills.
Occupational skills are mentioned in 75% of postings.
They do not mention technologies (14%) or tools (9%) often.
Certifications are rarely mentioned.
Here are the top skills they are looking for in each category:
Construction
This sector includes companies that build, repair, and renovate buildings, as well as develop land. It is divided into three parts: building construction, heavy and civil engineering construction, and specialty trade contractors.
In this industry, being good with people is important. Almost all job postings (94%) mention needing social-emotional skills.
Occupational skills are mentioned in 93% of postings.
Technologies are mentioned in 36% of postings.
Tools and equipment are specified in 29% of job postings.
Certifications are rarely mentioned.
Here are the top skills they are looking for in each category:
Educational Services
This sector covers places that provide education and training in different subjects. This includes schools, colleges, universities, and training centres.
In this industry, being good with people is important. Most job postings (86%) mention needing social-emotional skills.
Occupational skills are mentioned in 62% of postings.
Technologies are mentioned in 22% of postings, but tools are rarely mentioned 6%).
Certifications are mentioned in 8% of job postings.
Here are the top skills they are looking for in each category:
Finance and Insurance
This sector includes businesses that handle money and financial services.
Some businesses, like banks and credit unions, take deposits and lend money. They move money from people who save to people who need loans. They also invest money and take on some risk when they lend it out.
Other businesses provide insurance. They collect payments called premiums, set money aside, invest it, and pay people when something covered by insurance happens. This can include life insurance, health insurance, or other types of coverage.
This sector also includes companies that support financial services, such as investment firms and businesses that manage employee benefit plans.
It also includes Canada’s monetary authorities, such as the central bank, which help manage the country’s money system.
In this industry, being good with people is important. Almost all job postings (99%) mention needing social-emotional skills.
Occupational skills are mentioned in 99% of postings.
Technologies are mentioned in 48% of postings, but tools and technologies and certifications are rarely mentioned.
Here are the top skills they are looking for in each category:
Health Care and Social Assistance
This sector includes businesses and organizations that provide health care and social support services. Some provide medical care. They diagnose illnesses, treat patients, and help people stay healthy. This can include doctors, nurses, hospitals, and clinics. Some provide residential care. They offer places to live for people who need medical help or support with daily living, such as seniors or people with disabilities.
This sector also includes social assistance services. These services help people who need extra support. This can include counselling, income support, child protection, community housing, food programs, job training, and childcare.
In this industry, being good with people is important. Almost all job postings (98%) mention needing social-emotional skills.
Occupational skills are mentioned in 90% of postings.
Certifications are asked for in 29% of job postings.
Technologies are mentioned in 29% of postings, but tools are rarely mentioned.
Here are the top skills they are looking for in each category:
Information and Cultural Industries
This sector includes businesses that create and share information and cultural products. These are things like movies, music, books, news, TV shows, and software. Many of these products are protected by copyright law. This means only the people or companies who own the rights can copy, change, or sell them.
This sector includes film and music companies, book and newspaper publishers, TV and radio broadcasters, internet and phone companies, data and web service providers, libraries, archives, and search engines.
In this industry, being good with people is important. All job postings (100%) mention needing social-emotional skills.
Occupational skills are mentioned in 87% of postings.
Technologies are mentioned in 42% of postings, but tools and certifications are rarely mentioned.
Here are the top skills they are looking for in each category:
Management of Companies and Enterprises
This sector includes companies that manage or control other companies.
Some of these companies own shares (securities) in other businesses so they can control or influence how those businesses are run. They do not usually sell products or services to the public.
Other companies in this sector manage and oversee the daily operations of businesses within the same company group. They may help with planning, leadership, and decision-making. These companies only support the businesses in their own company group. They do not provide services to outside companies or customers.
In this industry, being good with people is important. Most job postings (95%) mention needing social-emotional skills.
Occupational skills are mentioned in 90% of job postings.
Technologies are mentioned in 26% of postings.
Tools and equipment are mentioned in 21% of postings.
Certifications are rarely mentioned.
Here are the top skills they are looking for in each category:
Manufacturing
This sector includes businesses that make new products by changing raw materials into something different. They may use chemical, mechanical, or physical processes to do this. The products they make can be finished goods, ready for people to use or buy, or semi-finished goods that will be used to make other products.
Manufacturing also includes putting parts together to make a product, mixing materials, and finishing products by dyeing, heating, or coating them.
These businesses are often called plants, factories, or mills.
In this industry, being good with people is important. Most job postings (94%) mention needing social-emotional skills.
Specific skills for the job are mentioned in 95% of postings.
Technologies are mentioned in 41% of postings, and tools and equipment are specified in 31% of job postings.
Certifications are rarely mentioned (8%).
Here are the top skills they are looking for in each category:
Other Services
This sector includes many different types of services that do not fit into other sectors.
It includes businesses that repair or maintain vehicles, machines, and equipment so they work properly. It also includes personal services such as hair salons, funeral services, laundry services, pet care, and photo services. This sector includes religious organizations that plan and promote religious activities. It also includes groups that raise money for causes, support social or political issues, or represent the interests of their members. Private households that hire people to help in the home are also part of this sector.
In this industry, understanding and relating to people is important. Social-emotional skills were mentioned in 97% of job postings.
Occupational skills were mentioned in 77% of job postings.
Technologies were mentioned in 36% of postings, but tools and equipment and certifications were rarely mentioned.
Here are the top skills they are looking for in each category:
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
This sector includes businesses that mainly provide expert knowledge and skills. The most important resource in these businesses is the training and experience of their workers. These businesses often work on special projects for clients. They are grouped based on the type of expertise they provide.
This sector includes services such as:
- Legal services
- Accounting, tax, bookkeeping, and payroll services
- Architecture and engineering
- Design services
- Computer systems design and IT services
- Management and scientific consulting
- Research and development
- Advertising and public relations
In this sector, the main product is expert advice and professional skill. Equipment and materials are less important than the knowledge of the workers. Many of these jobs require college or university education, but not all of them do.
In this industry being good with people is important. Almost all job postings (98%) mention needing social-emotional skills.
Occupation skills are mentioned in 98% of postings.
Technologies are mentioned in 56% of postings, but tools and equipment and certifications are rarely mentioned.
Here are the top skills they are looking for in each category:
Public Administration
This sector includes government activities that only governments do. This includes making laws, interpreting laws in courts, and running programs based on those laws. It also includes collecting taxes, national defence, public safety, immigration services, foreign affairs, international aid, and managing government programs.
In this industry, being good with people is important. Almost all job postings (98%) mention needing social-emotional skills.
Occupational skills are mentioned in 94% of postings.
Technologies are mentioned in 47% of postings.
Tools and equipment are mentioned in 19% of postings.
Certifications are rarely mentioned (8%).
Here are the top skills they are looking for in each category:
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
This sector includes businesses that rent or lease things to others. This can include buildings, equipment, vehicles, or other property. It can also include renting the use of things that are not physical, such as certain rights or licences.
It also includes businesses that manage property for other people. These businesses may help buy, sell, or rent homes and buildings, or find tenants. Real estate appraisers, who estimate the value of property, are part of this sector too.
In this industry, occupational skills are important. Most job postings (98%) mention needing these skills.
Social-emotional skills are in high demand, mentioned in 87% of postings.
Technologies are mentioned in 14% of postings.
12% of postings mention tools and equipment.
Certifications are rarely mentioned.
Here are the top skills they are looking for in each category:
Retail Trade
This sector includes businesses that sell stuff directly to people and provide services related to those sales. Retailers usually sell things in small amounts to the public. There are two main types: those with physical stores you can visit, and those without, like vending machines, online shops, door-to-door, or mail-order services.
In this industry, both occupational skills and people skills are important.
Almost all job postings (98%) mention occupational skills and 87% mention social-emotional skills.
Technologies are mentioned in 14% of postings.
12% of postings mention tools and equipment.
Certifications are requested in 2% of postings.
Here are the top skills they are looking for in each category:
Transportation and Warehousing
This sector includes businesses that move people and goods from one place to another. It also includes businesses that store goods and support transportation services. Transportation methods include road (trucks, buses, taxis, and other ground travel), rail, water, air, and pipelines. Post offices and courier companies are also part of this sector because they deliver mail and packages.
Warehousing and storage businesses keep goods safe until they are needed. These businesses are grouped based on the type of storage service and facility they provide.
In this industry, being good with people is important. Most job postings (89%) mention needing social-emotional skills.
Occupational skills are mentioned in 93% of postings.
Technologies are mentioned in 25% of postings, but tools and equipment are rarely mentioned (14%).
Certifications are rarely mentioned.
Here are the top skills they are looking for in each category:
Utilities
This sector includes businesses that provide basic services like electricity, natural gas, and water. These businesses generate and deliver electricity to homes and businesses; distribute natural gas; treat and supply clean water; and operate sewer systems and treat wastewater. They use large systems of power lines, pipes, and treatment facilities to provide these services to communities.
In this industry, both occupational (99%) and social-emotional (99%) skills are important. Almost every job posting mentions needing these skills.
Technologies are mentioned in over half of the postings (56%).
17% of postings mention tools and equipment.
Certifications are rarely mentioned.
Here are the top skills they are looking for in each category:
Wholesale Trade
The wholesale trade industry includes companies that sell goods in large quantities to other businesses, like retailers and institutions. They usually work from warehouses or offices ad are a middle step in getting goods from manufacturers to retailers.
In this industry both occupational (95%) and social-emotional skills (93%) are important. Almost all job postings mention needing these skills.
Technologies are mentioned in over a third of postings (34%)
22% of postings mention tools and equipment.
Certifications are rarely mentioned.
Here are the top skills they are looking for in each category:
Source: Vicinity Jobs, Postings by Industry (2-digit NAICS) BY Skill Group by Skill based on postings found between 01 Jan 25 and 31 Dec 25.
Industries with limited data available have not been included.