The job vacancy rate for health-related occupations was nearly twice as high in remote regions compared with accessible regions in 2024, according to new data from Statistics Canada.
The vacancy rate for health-related occupations in remote regions reached 9.3 per cent in 2024, compared with 5.5 per cent in accessible regions. The majority of job vacancies, at 88.1 per cent, were in accessible economic regions, consistent with higher demand associated with larger populations.
From 2016 to 2024, the vacancy rate for health-related occupations nearly tripled, increasing from 2.1 per cent to 5.8 per cent, according to the report released today titled “Regional dynamics of vacancies in health-related occupations in Canada, 2024.”
The vacancy rate was generally higher for nursing occupations and personal support workers compared with other health occupations. Licensed practical nurses had the highest vacancy rate at 12.8 per cent in 2024.
Vacancies more likely to be long-duration in remote areas
In 2024, vacancies for nursing occupations and for personal support workers in less accessible regions and remote regions were more likely to be long-duration, defined as vacancies for which active recruitment efforts have been ongoing for 90 days or more.
Over six in 10 vacancies for registered nurses at 61.8 per cent and licensed practical nurses at 62.3 per cent in remote regions were long-duration vacancies in 2024. This was higher than the corresponding proportions in accessible regions at 52.5 per cent of vacancies for registered nurses and 47.8 per cent of vacancies for licensed practical nurses.
Similarly, 47.5 per cent of vacancies for personal support workers in remote regions were long-duration compared with 42.9 per cent in accessible regions.
Wage disparities between remote and accessible regions
In 2024, the average offered hourly wage for registered nursing vacancies in remote regions was $37.49, slightly higher than the corresponding offered hourly wage in accessible regions at $35.66.
The average offered hourly wage for licensed practical nurses in remote regions at $31.53 was higher than in accessible regions at $29.59. However, offered hourly wages for personal support workers were on average slightly lower in remote regions at $22.22 compared with accessible regions at $23.53.
The data comes from the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey and the Labour Force Survey. Remoteness was examined at the economic region level where regions are classified as accessible, less accessible or remote using the 2021 Index of Remoteness, which takes into account population density and the relative proximity to larger population centres.
