Job prospects Payroll Officer in Nova Scotia

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "payroll officer" in Nova Scotia or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Nova Scotia

These outlooks were updated on November 29, 2023.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be good for Payroll administrators (NOC 13102) in Nova Scotia for the 2023-2025 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
• Several positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

This occupation offers average hiring prospects, with the chances of finding work likely better in Halifax considering both the larger employment base and the availability of specialized firms that offer payroll services. Canadian Payroll Association certification and previous payroll experience are often required. It is now common for payroll activity to be outsourced to companies specializing in this type of work, such as ADP Canada.

Here are some key facts about Payroll administrators in Nova Scotia:

• Approximately 2,100 people work in this occupation.
• Payroll administrators mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services (NAICS 5412): 25%
  • Food and beverage stores (NAICS 445): 7%
  • Construction (NAICS 23): 7%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 88% compared to 82% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 12% compared to 18% for all occupations
• 76% of payroll administrators work all year, while 24% work only part of the year, compared to 62% and 38% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 46 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
• Less than 5% of payroll administrators are self-employed compared to an average of 11% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 19% compared to 51% for all occupations
  • Women: 81% compared to 49% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 10% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 22% compared to 27% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 7% compared to 12% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 36% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 28% compared to 20% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 5% compared to 10% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Nova Scotia by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Job prospects elsewhere in Canada

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "payroll officer" Payroll administrators (NOC 13102) or across Canada.

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