Healthcare workers are a hot commodity in Canada even as the COVID-19 pandemic’s most serious waves seem to have passed.
Nurses, doctors and other employees are leaving their jobs in a sector which was already facing serious labour shortages.
In March of this year, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) indicated the need for more healthcare workers in the country had by then already reached a critical point.
“Two years into the pandemic, organizations representing health workers across the country are sounding the alarm that Canada’s health care system is collapsing,” the CMA warned in a statement.
“Without immediate action, there is little to hope for in the future. While Canadians are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and public health measures are being loosened, the same cannot be said for health workers.
“On top of severe exhaustion and burnout from working through two years of COVID-19, healthcare workers now face both massive system backlogs and a shortage of colleagues to cope with demands.”
That’s an enormous opportunity for foreign nationals with experience, training and education in healthcare to immigrate to Canada.
If you are a candidate looking for a Canada job, or an employer looking to recruit foreign talent from abroad, immigration.ca can help. Access our expertise through our in-house recruitment enterprise www.skilledworker.com, “the leader in foreign recruitment”.
With that need for healthcare workers, Canada sweetened the pot for foreign nationals even further in June, announcing $1.5 million in spending to help foreign-trained healthcare workers get their credentials recognized in Canada.
The spending, announced by Marie-France Lalonde, parliamentary secretary to Immigration Minister Sean Fraser, is to help professionals educated abroad fill positions in Canada’s healthcare system in provinces outside Quebec.
Through the expansion of the successful Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario’s (CHEO’s) National Newcomer Navigation Network (N4), the project is creating a platform for internationally-educated healthcare workers to get information on credential recognition.
“CHEO has a proven track record of ensuring health and social service sector professionals have the knowledge and tools they need to provide equitable care and services to newcomers,” Lalonde said.
“We are pleased to continue working with the National Newcomer Navigation Network to support healthcare professionals educated abroad in securing jobs in Canada’s healthcare sector.
“These services will help more newcomers succeed, while also helping to build a better future for all Canadians.”
Top Seven Best Jobs In Healthcare For 2022
- Registered Nurse (NOC 3012)
There’s unlikely a single hospital or clinic in Canada that’s not looking for a registered nurse these days, with the Indeed.ca job website showing 12,939 postings for registered nursing jobs in the country as of Sept. 13, 2022.
“These well-educated, highly-qualified nurses stand in the gaps of the healthcare system to provide patient care in all arenas,” notes Randstad. “They work in hospitals, doctor’s offices, clinics, schools, government agencies, home health offices, nursing homes and many other places and are critical to saving lives and providing daily services to millions of Canadians.”
The federal government’s Job Bank job-hunting website rates the job prospects for registered nurses in Canada as “good” throughout most of the country for the next three years.
Registered nurses earn a median wage of $51,246 per year at the low end and $94,321 per year at the high end for a 37.5-hour work week, according to Job Bank data.
- Licensed Practical Nurses (NOC 3233)
Under the direction of medical practitioners, registered nurses or other health team members, licensed practical nurses to offer nursing care, often as operating room technicians preparing patients and providing assistance to medical practitioners prior to and during surgery.
“You can get these nursing jobs without as much education or experience as many registered nurse postings call for,” notes Randstad. “For individuals who feel called to care directly for patients, licensed practical nurse jobs may be a good door into a healthcare career.”
Job prospects for licensed practical nurses are good throughout most of Canada for the next three years, reports Job Bank.
In Canada, licensed practical nurses earn median wages between $42,900 at the low end and $64,798 per year at the high end based on a standard, 37.5-hour work week. Indeed.ca listed 2,928 job postings for these healthcare workers as of mid-September.
- Medical Administrative Assistant (NOC 1243)
There are jobs for medical administrative assistants up for grabs across Canada and Job Bank rates the job prospects for these healthcare workers as “good” throughout the country for the next three years.
These are the first people patients typically see in a hospital when they walk in and register and also the folks who keep their medical records properly filed away.
“They help check patients in, ensure records are up-to-date, support claims billing processes and provide general administrative support to clinical staff and healthcare management,” notes Randstad.
“Qualified candidates for these positions have strong communication and analytical skills, are able to provide customer service support for patients and are detail-oriented and organized.”
Median salaries for medical administrative assistants range from $31,200 per year at the low end up to $56,335 annually at the upper end based on a standard work week.
- Medical Laboratory Technician (NOC 3212)
The COVID-19 pandemic sent the demand for medical laboratory technicians through the roof as the number of tests for the coronavirus skyrocketed with each succeeding wave of the crisis.
“But lab tech positions are trending jobs for reasons that go beyond the pandemic, too,” notes Randstad.
“Better diagnostic procedures, a reliance on at-home testing and a surge in people seeking information about their own DNA has increased the demand on laboratories in recent years.”
Medical laboratory technicians perform routine medical laboratory tests and clean and maintain medical laboratory equipment. They work in medical laboratories in hospitals, clinics, research facilities, post-secondary educational institutions and government research laboratories.
Job prospects for these healthcare workers are good for at least the next three years, forecasts Job Bank.
Median annual salaries for medical laboratory technicians in Canada range from $36,172 at the low end and $78,000 at the high end based on a standard work week.
- Medical Secretary (NOC 1243)
There is going to be a shortage of roughly 4,000 medical secretaries in Canada during the decade that will end in 2028, forecasts Job Bank.
“For medical administrative assistants, over the period 2019-2028, new job openings, arising from expansion demand and replacement demand, are expected to total 30,000, while 26,000 new job seekers, arising from school leavers, immigration and mobility, are expected to be available to fill them,” says the federal government’s job-hunting website.
That’s why Job Bank is forecasting “good” job prospects for medical secretaries pretty much across the country over the next three years.
“Medical secretaries provide the type of support in offices that general secretaries do but their work is done in an environment filled with healthcare concepts and requirements,” notes Randstad.
“The right candidates for these top jobs in the healthcare field must have knowledge of medical terminology, empathy for patient needs and the rigorous demands put on clinical staff and experience working in regulated, compliance-driven environments.”
Median annual salaries for medical secretaries range from a low of $31,200 to $56,335 at the high end for a standard work week, data from Job Bank reveals.
- Hospital Administrator (NOC 0014)
Administrators in hospitals and other healthcare settings such as medical clinics and managers in government departments overlooking healthcare have perhaps the widest range of remuneration in the sector because these jobs run the gamut from supervisors overlooking a few employees to senior managers running massive hospitals and health authorities.
“While the experience and skills required for these positions obviously varies, healthcare managers of any type have a common goal: to balance the quality of patient care and clinical services with business matters such as budget and resource management,” notes Randstad.
In Canada, the median annual salary for these healthcare managers ranges from a low of $38,961 to a high of $182,227 based on a standard, 37.5-hour work week, data from Job Bank reveals.
- Home Support Worker (NOC 4412)
There is a massive shortage of home support workers in Canada as the Baby Boomers age and the pandemic, unfortunately, takes its toll on many people.
Job Bank estimates there will be 33,900 new jobs for home support workers in Canada in the decade ending in 2028.
“Many seniors desire to live at home as long as possible, and the pandemic has only increased those numbers,” notes Randstad. “Home support workers provide help with activities of daily living and companionship to people of all ages who have medical or care needs that can’t be provided by themselves or friends and family.”
Median annual salaries for home support workers in Canada range from $26,247 at the low end through to $45,006 at the high end based on a standard work week.
