Jobs in Ottawa, Ontario

The federal government is Ottawa’s largest employer, and public service jobs shape the whole city, from policy and administration to IT, translation and security. Technology is the second pillar, centred on the Kanata research park in the west end, followed by health care, education and tourism.

Bilingualism counts for more here than in any other Ontario city. Many federal positions require both English and French, and Gatineau, Quebec is a short trip across the river, so people regularly live in one province and work in the other. Federal hiring can take months and often involves security clearance, so apply early and keep other options open. OC Transpo buses and the O-Train serve the main employment areas. See public service jobs and technology jobs.

Job market snapshot: Ottawa, October 2026

Employers advertised 692 job postings in Ottawa on Job Bank in October 2026, covering 891 vacancies. About 72% were full-time. The median advertised wage among hourly-paid postings was $25.00 an hour.

Source: Job Bank open data, Employment and Social Development Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Figures count postings first advertised on Job Bank that month. They are not a count of jobs open on JobsNearMe.ca today.