Canada’s Health Job Vacancies Have Doubled Since 2016 – What This Means for Immigration Levels
On This Page You Will Find
- Key findings from the Statistics Canada report
- Why health job vacancies keep rising
- How shortages affect immigration targets
- The role of foreign-trained workers in filling gaps
- What this means for Express Entry and PNP pathways
Canada’s Health Vacancies Have More Than Doubled – and Immigration Will Play a Larger Role
Canada faces a growing labour shortage across its health-related occupations, with job vacancies more than doubling since 2016. According to new Statistics Canada data, health vacancies rose from 6.5% of all job vacancies in 2016 to 15% in 2024, hitting their highest level since the start of the pandemic.
While the health workforce continues to grow, demand for services is rising much faster because of Canada’s aging population and increasing disease burden. Retirements, heavier workloads and burnout are also reducing the available supply of workers. As a result, vacancy rates continue to climb even as employment increases.
These labour pressures have direct consequences for Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan. Health care is now one of the strongest drivers of permanent and temporary immigration, shaping everything from Express Entry category-based draws to provincial nominations.
Why Health Job Vacancies Continue to Grow
Statistics Canada highlights several reasons behind rising shortages:
- Strong demand for services from an older population
- Increased pressures on frontline workers
- Regional differences in access to training and labour supply
- A sharp jump in unmet labour demand since 2019
Employment in health occupations grew by 121,100 workers between 2019 and 2023, yet this was not enough to meet the needs of the system. The vacancy rate rose from 3% in 2019 to 5.5% in 2023, and then to 5.8% in 2024.
Nurses and personal support workers account for the majority of the openings. Licensed practical nurses have seen the fastest rise, with vacancy rates more than five times higher than in 2016.
Provincial and Regional Impacts
The shortages are not evenly spread across Canada. The highest vacancy rates appear in the Territories and Quebec, while the Prairies have the lowest. Remote regions face the greatest challenges, with nursing vacancy rates more than double those in accessible regions.
Long-duration vacancies are especially common in northern and rural communities, where smaller labour pools and fewer training opportunities make recruiting Canadian-born workers difficult.
These patterns push many provinces to expand immigration streams targeted at healthcare occupations.
How Rising Vacancies Influence Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan
The federal government now ties immigration planning closely to labour shortages. As long as vacancy rates continue rising, Canada will need newcomers to stabilise the health-care system.
Raising domestic training capacity takes many years. Immigration offers a faster and more flexible tool for filling gaps. This has led to:
Pressure on the system also raises public expectations that immigration policy will match real-world labour demand.
The Role of Immigrants in Meeting Future Health Care Needs
Foreign-trained workers already make up a significant share of Canada’s health workforce. As retirements accelerate, immigrants will play an even larger role in meeting demand.
However, several challenges remain:
- Slow provincial licensing processes
- Limited recognition of international credentials
- Difficulty attracting workers to remote regions
- Wage differences between occupations and locations
Despite these barriers, provinces increasingly rely on immigration to staff hospitals, long-term care homes and community clinics.
Looking Ahead
Canada’s rising health vacancies show no sign of slowing. As long as demand outpaces supply, immigration will remain central to the government’s strategy. The data suggests future Immigration Levels Plans will continue to support high numbers of newcomers in health-related fields and expand pathways for internationally educated professionals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are health-care job vacancies rising in Canada?
Vacancies are rising because demand for services is growing faster than the supply of workers. Canada’s aging population needs more care, and more nurses and personal support workers are retiring or leaving the sector. Training capacity has not kept pace, and workloads remain high across the country.
Which health professions face the most severe shortages?
Nurses and personal support workers face the largest shortages. Licensed practical nurses have the fastest-growing vacancy rate, followed by registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses. These groups now account for most of the unfilled positions in the health-care system.
How do regional shortages affect immigration policy?
Regions with higher vacancy rates, such as remote and northern areas, rely more heavily on immigration to fill roles. Provinces use targeted Provincial Nominee Program streams to bring in nurses, personal support workers and other essential workers. The federal government also tailors Express Entry draws to address these shortages.
Will Canada increase immigration levels because of these shortages?
While political debates continue, the data suggests health-care shortages will keep immigration levels high. Even if overall targets stabilise, health-related streams are likely to expand. Newcomers fill critical roles that cannot be supplied quickly through domestic training alone.
What challenges do internationally educated health workers face in Canada?
Foreign-trained workers often face slow credential recognition, limited bridging programs and regional licensing rules. Some regions offer higher pay but fewer supports. Improving credential pathways remains essential to reducing long-duration vacancies and helping newcomers contribute faster.
