2024-09-05 18:51:01
The health care and social assistance sector once again has one of the highest vacancy rates in Quebec. Job vacancy rates in the sector have doubled in four years, according to data released Thursday by the Institute of Statistics Quebec (ISQ).
In 2023, the vacancy rate in health care and social assistance rose to 7.4%, or 43,000 positions. In 2019 it was 3.5%.
The average growth rate for all industries in Quebec in 2023 is 4.5%.
ITQ data for the first quarter of 2024 released in June appears to show that this trend is continuing. During this period, there were an estimated 41,300 health job vacancies, “which is not statistically significantly different from the number observed in the first quarter of 2023”.
In addition, by 2023, approximately 70% of vacancies in the health professions will be full-time positions.
This issue particularly concerns nurses. It is this occupation that will see the largest increase in the number of open positions, from approximately 3,500 in 2019 to approximately 9,900 in 2023.
This isn’t the only profession that’s having a hard time filling vacancies. There are approximately 7,200 job vacancies for nurse aides, caregivers and benefit attendants in 2023, compared with 4,100 vacancies in 2019.
In its analysis, ISQ also highlighted the time elapsed since a vacancy was posted as relevant data, showing that employers are having greater difficulty filling vacancies. For all job openings in the health sector, approximately 52% of positions had been posted for at least 90 days in 2019.
For nurse practitioners alone, the proportion of positions vacant for 90 days or more increased from 52% in 2019 to 68% in 2023.
On the other hand, the fact that recruitment sometimes requires years of experience does not seem to be the reason for the difficulty in recruiting the workforce, as in 2023, about 85% of all open positions in the health sector will not require any years of experience.
Little impact on salary
Overall, the data shows that around 25,000 new vacancies will be created in the health and social care sector between 2019 and 2023. “You should be aware that at the same time, we also noted that the industry added approximately 36,000 salaried positions that have already been filled, indicating increasing demand for labor in this sector,” we can read in the ISQ analysis. Due to the aging population, the demand for services in the healthcare field is increasing.
However, there has been an increase in pay, but this does not appear to be enough to attract more workers. The average hourly wage for open medical positions in 2023 is $27.66, a 26% increase from the average hourly wage of $21.94 in 2019.
Salary growth varies by occupation. Growth was strongest among nurse aides, nursing assistants and patient care workers. Their salary increased from $17 in 2019 to $24.16 in 2023, a 42% increase.
Quebec is not the only province facing challenges filling health positions. Job openings in this field have also grown in Ontario in recent years, but will decline by 2023.
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Title: Quebec’s Healthcare Sector Sees Alarming Job Vacancy Rate: 7.4% and Rising
Meta Description: Learn about the concerning job vacancy rate in Quebec’s healthcare sector, which has doubled in four years, and the occupations most affected, including nurses and nurse aides.
The healthcare and social assistance sector in Quebec is facing a daunting challenge: a skyrocketing job vacancy rate that has more than doubled in just four years. According to data released by the Institute of Statistics Quebec (ISQ), the sector’s vacancy rate reached an alarming 7.4% in 2023, translating to a staggering 43,000 unfilled positions.
To put this in perspective, the average growth rate for all industries in Quebec in 2023 is 4.5%, indicating that the healthcare sector is experiencing a disproportionate labor shortage. This trend is expected to continue, with an estimated 41,300 health job vacancies in the first quarter of 2024, according to ISQ data released in June.
Nurses and Nurse Aides Hardest Hit
The crisis is particularly pronounced among nurses, with the number of open positions expected to jump from approximately 3,500 in 2019 to a staggering 9,900 in 2023. Nurse aides, caregivers, and benefit attendants are also struggling to fill vacancies, with approximately 7,200 job openings in 2023, up from 4,100 in 2019.
Longer Vacancy Periods and Lower Experience Requirements
One concerning aspect of this trend is the length of time vacancies remain unfilled. According to ISQ, approximately 52% of healthcare job openings had been posted for at least 90 days in 2019, with this figure increasing to 68% for nurse practitioners alone in 2023. Meanwhile, about 85% of all open positions in the health sector will not require
