Québec, September 5, 2024. – In 2023, the health care and social assistance industry had one of the highest job vacancy rates in Québec at 7.4%, compared with 4.5% across all industries. This rate has doubled compared with 2019, when it stood at 3.5%. Those are the findings of Les postes vacants dans l’industrie des soins de santé et de l’assistance sociale au Québec : importance, caractéristiques et évolution, released today by the Institut de la statistique du Québec.
Job vacancy rate by industry, Québec, 2023
Source
Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0442-01. Job vacancies, payroll employees, job vacancy rate, and average offered hourly wage by industry sub-sector, quarterly, unadjusted for seasonality. Adapted by the Institut de la statistique du Québec.
Between 2019 and 2023, the number of job vacancies increased by about 25,000 in the health care and social assistance industry, reaching nearly 43,000 in 2023. It’s worth noting that 36,000 payroll positions were added and filled during that same period in this industry. These numbers attest to the growing need for labour and services in the field of health care and social assistance as the population ages..
Nearly one quarter of all vacant positions in Québec are in the health care and social assistance industry
LJob vacancies in the health care and social assistance industry make up a greater proportion of Québec’s total job vacancies due to an increase in vacant positions in this industry since 2019. While they made up roughly 14% of Québec’s total job vacancies in 2019, this percentage reached 23% in 2023. In comparison, industries like manufacturing, retail trade, and accommodation and food services each made up about 11% of job vacancies in 2023.
Job vacancies in the health care and social assistance industry as a share of total job vacancies, Québec, 2019-2023
Source
Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0442-01. Job vacancies, payroll employees, job vacancy rate, and average offered hourly wage by industry sub-sector, quarterly, unadjusted for seasonality. Adapted by the Institut de la statistique du Québec.
Comparison with Ontario
The job vacancy rate has also been rising in Ontario, but it posted a decline in 2023. As a result, the job vacancy rate in health care and social assistance remains comparatively higher in Québec.
Job vacancy rates in the health care and social assistance industry, Québec and Ontario, 2019-2023
Note
Annual results are based on four-quarter averages, except for 2020, where the average is based on two quarters.
Source
Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0442-01. Job vacancies, payroll employees, job vacancy rate, and average offered hourly wage by industry sub-sector, quarterly, unadjusted for seasonality. Adapted by the Institut de la statistique du Québec.
Vacant nursing positions have tripled since 2019
Nursing saw the biggest increase in job vacancies. Vacant nursing positions nearly tripled over four years, rising from around 3,500 in 2019 to about 9,900 in 2023.
The nurse’s aide, orderly, and patient attendant professions also saw vacant positions increase from 4,100 in 2019 to roughly 7,200 in 2023.
Average hourly wage for vacant positions
In 2023, the average hourly wage for vacant positions in health care was around $27.66, up approximately 26% from 2019 ($21.94).
However, the increase varies between health care professions. Nurse’s aides, orderlies, and patient attendants saw the greatest relative wage increase (+42%), with the pay rate offered for vacant positions rising from around $17.00 in 2019 to $24.16 in 2023. By comparison, the average hourly wage increase across all vacant positions was around 23%.
Number of job vacancies in the health care and social assistance industry stable in the first quarter of 2024
The data in this article cover the last full year (2023). However, data for the first quarter of 2024 from the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey was published in June 2024. The number of job vacancies is estimated at 41,300 in the health care and social assistance industry for the first quarter of 2024. In comparison with the first quarter of 2023, the difference is therefore not statistically significant, suggesting that job vacancies in this industry did not significantly change between the first quarter of 2023 and the same quarter of 2024, based on non-seasonally adjusted data.
For 25 years, the Institut de la statistique du Québec has been producing, analyzing, and disseminating official, objective and high-quality statistical information on various aspects of Québec society. It is responsible for conducting all statistical surveys of general interest. The relevance of its work makes it a strategic ally for decision makers and an essential source of information for all those wishing to learn more about Québec..