Canada’s health workforce has more than doubled over the past 25 years, driven by rising demand from an aging population, according to a report released today by Statistics Canada.
Between 1998 and 2024, employment in health occupations grew from approximately 800,000 to nearly 1.7 million—a 114.8 per cent increase. This growth rate significantly outpaced the overall employment growth in Canada, averaging 3 per cent per year compared to 1.5 per cent across all occupations.
Nursing roles lead recent employment surge
In 2024 alone, the health sector added 45,000 workers, a 2.7 per cent increase over 2023, with nursing roles accounting for two-thirds of this rise. Employment in nursing occupations specifically increased by 21.2 per cent from pre-pandemic levels in 2019, highlighting ongoing demand amid health system strains.
Although growth has helped moderate the aging of the health workforce, nearly 18 per cent of health workers were still 55 or older in 2024, up significantly from 9.5 per cent in 1998, though slightly below the peak of 19.6 per cent in 2018.
Workforce renewal steady but uneven
The study also introduced the “renewal ratio”—the ratio of workers aged 25 to 34 to those aged 55 to 64—to measure workforce replenishment. Health occupations had a renewal ratio of 1.9 in 2024, meaning nearly two younger workers were available to replace each worker nearing retirement, higher than the overall Canadian workforce ratio of 1.5.
However, renewal varied significantly within health roles. Licensed practical nurses had the highest renewal ratio at 2.2, while nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates had a notably lower ratio of 0.9, indicating fewer young workers were entering this role compared to those retiring.
Immigrant workers bolster health sector
Recent immigrants and non-permanent residents have significantly contributed to easing workforce pressures, particularly among nurse aides and patient service associates, the report found. Nearly half (44.8 per cent) of workers in these roles were immigrants or non-permanent residents in 2021. Of these younger workers (aged 25 to 34), nearly one-quarter were recent immigrants or non-permanent residents.
However, the study highlighted potential underutilization of immigrant skills. Among recent immigrants working as nurse aides, nearly half (47.1 per cent) held a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to just 6.3 per cent of Canadian-born workers in the same role, pointing to barriers in credential recognition and skill utilization in Canada.
