In the job market, supply of qualified candidates dictates how easily the employers will be able to find new workers that meet their criteria. Of course, for some professions the supply greatly outpaces the number of available positions (think professional athletes, or CEO-level managers), but for some jobs quite the opposite is true – it is very hard to find people willing and able to do them. Consequently, Canadian employers often have to wait for a long time before they can identify a suitable candidate and sign the contract to hire him.

Let’s run down the list of the hardest positions to fill, measured by the percentage of openings (for a specific profession) that take longer than 60 days to fill:

Landscape designer

This is the job that deserves the title of the hardest to fill in Canada – in 64% of cases it takes more than 2 months for a company to hire a landscape designer since the moment they publish a job ad. That’s significantly more than for the next profession, so landscape artists have a very strong market in which to operate in the coming period.

Restaurant cook

Apparently, chefs who know what they are doing are in very high demand. 52% of restaurants looking for a pizza cook had to wait for more than 60 days, while this number jumps to 56% for sushi chefs. Food industry typically doesn’t pay all that great, but at least there are plenty of jobs waiting for those who specialize in food preparation.

Piano teacher

With all the digital music-making tools we have today, piano is somewhat of a forgotten instrument. That’s why it doesn’t surprise that hiring a piano teacher is quite likely to become a drawn out process regardless of the salary or other perks. Classical music education isn’t easy to acquire, so those who have such knowledge have a pretty solid chance of finding work.

HVAC installer

Obviously, Canada is a cold country and citizens can’t afford to be without their heating systems for long, but companies looking to hire new HVAC installers may have to be more patient. More than half of small businesses advertising a job of this kind had to wait more than 2 months to find the person with the adequate skill set.

Technician

Several jobs descriptions with the title ‘technician’ in them appear on the list of the most difficult occupations to recruit. Tire technicians hold the edge with 52%, but audio-visual technicians and electronics technicians are not too far behind with just under 50%. Obviously, new generations are not too keen to get their hands dirty and learn how to deal with nuts and bolts.

Pet groomer

Finally one occupation that seemingly anyone could learn – being a pet groomer doesn’t sound very complicated. However, employers have a hard time finding individuals ready to commit to this line of work, with as much as 50% of openings still open after 60 days. Maybe it’s time for some pet owners to consider starting a side business in their free time.