Durham’s Labour Market: Key Insights from August 2025
The Jobs First Durham Job Demand and Job Search reports for August show a complex picture of steady employer demand alongside active but selective job seeker engagement in Durham. These reports highlight where opportunities are emerging, where challenges persist, and what this means for both job seekers and employers.
Employer Demand Remains Strong
In August, employers across Durham posted 5,531 active job ads, which is a 4% increase from July, including 3,724 new postings. More than 2,200 companies were hiring, a 5% increase from July, and the majority of positions (77%) were full-time, permanent roles.
High-demand roles include:
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Food counter attendants and kitchen helpers
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Home support workers and caregivers
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Registered nurses and psychiatric nurses
At the same time, some traditional occupations, such as retail salespersons, customer service representatives, and elementary school teachers, while remaining strong, did see a decline in postings.
Job Seeker Activity: Targeted but Concentrated
The Job Search Report shows 12,179 interactions with online tools in August, including 6,189 clicks on job postings, a 13% drop from July. Top occupations job seekers clicked on include:
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Retail salespersons
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Material handlers
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Home support workers and caregivers
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Food counter attendants
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Construction labourers
This suggests that while employer demand is strong in healthcare, food services, and building maintenance, many job seekers continue to focus on retail and entry-level service roles, where postings are actually declining.
Wage and Skills Trends
The average posted wage in August was $27.86/hour, down 2% from July, with a median of $23.13/hour. Some roles, such as motor vehicle assemblers and psychologists, saw significant wage growth, while others, like teachers and lab technologists, experienced wage declines.
Employers continue to emphasize soft skills, such as communication, customer service, and teamwork, alongside practical requirements like first aid training, proficiency in Microsoft Office, and criminal record checks.
What This Means for Job Seekers
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Opportunities exist across industries, particularly in healthcare, food services, and skilled trades. Job seekers who can pivot toward these areas may find more stable and better-paying roles.
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Transferable skills, such as communication, customer service, and problem-solving, are in high demand and can help job seekers transition into growing fields.
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Awareness of wages is important. Some declining occupations are offering relatively high pay, but these roles may be more challenging to secure as fewer postings become available.
What This Means for Employers
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Hiring competition remains high, with thousands of postings online. Employers need to stand out through clear job ads, competitive wages, and advertised benefits.
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Recruitment challenges in growing sectors, such as healthcare, caregiving, and skilled trades, continue to face shortages, suggesting that employers may need to broaden their candidate pipelines and invest in training.
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Disconnect with job seeker interest, as many candidates are still looking at retail and general labour roles, despite a decline in postings in those areas. Employers in growth sectors may need to do more outreach to attract and reskill these job seekers.
Final Takeaway
Durham Region’s August 2025 labour market highlights a dual challenge, as employers are eager to fill roles in growing sectors such as healthcare, caregiving, and building maintenance, while many job seekers are still drawn to retail and entry-level positions with shrinking demand. Bridging this gap through improved career awareness, training pathways, and targeted employer outreach will be key to maintaining Durham’s labour market balance and resilience.