Job prospects Illustrator And Graphic Designer in Ontario

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as an "illustrator and graphic designer" in Ontario or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Ontario

These outlooks were updated on November 29, 2023.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be moderate for Graphic designers and illustrators (NOC 52120) in Ontario for the 2023-2025 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
• Not many positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

What Types of Employers Are Out There?

• Nearly all major sectors of the economy, but the leading shares are in areas such as:
  • Specialized design firms, which include graphic design services
  • Advertising, public relations, and related services
  • Motion picture and video producers

What are the Main Trends Affecting Employment?

• Greater use of visuals by business operations to share information and expand market reach
• The need for customer-friendly web designs is expected to create favourable demand particularly for user interface and experience (UI/UX) designers
• Significant film and video game cluster should benefit individuals with game design, art and animation skills

What Skills Do I Need to Succeed?

• In addition to other formal education, proficiency using design software such as Figma, and Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator)
• Understanding of programming languages such as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is also often needed
• User experience (UX) designers are usually required to have solid knowledge of human-centered design methods

What Other Information Will I Find Helpful?

• A design portfolio or sample of previous work may be required
• A notable share of workers in this occupation are self employed
• In general:
  • Micro-credentials or short-term training courses and certification are being offered by post-secondary institutions to help job seekers upskill; courses may also be offered by industry stakeholders
  • Bridging Programs are also available to assist internationally trained professionals in various fields enter the labour market more quickly in the province.

Here are some key facts about Graphic designers and illustrators in Ontario:

• Approximately 33,900 people work in this occupation.
• Graphic designers and illustrators mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Architectural, engineering and design services (NAICS 5413): 34%
  • Information and cultural industries (NAICS 51): 12%
  • Other professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS 5414, 5416-5419): 9%
  • Computer systems design services (NAICS 5415): 8%
  • Arts, entertainment and recreation (NAICS 71): 6%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 80% compared to 81% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 20% compared to 19% for all occupations
• 62% of graphic designers and illustrators work all year, while 38% work only part of the year, compared to 63% and 37% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 42 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
• 34% of graphic designers and illustrators are self-employed compared to an average of 15% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 47% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: 53% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 9% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 13% compared to 25% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 8% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 42% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 34% compared to 24% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 7% compared to 13% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Ontario by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Labour market conditions over the next 10 years

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as an "illustrator and graphic designer" Graphic designers and illustrators (NOC 52120) or across Canada.

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