Job prospects Registered Nurse (R.N.) in Nova Scotia

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "registered nurse (R.N.)" 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 very good for Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (NOC 31301) 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.
• A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

Increasing health needs of an aging population favour employment prospects for registered nurses. The work environment for nursing services is changing somewhat as home-care services continue to grow and the province moves toward a collaborative care model (where various health practitioners work together). This is one of the largest occupation groups in the province, so there is a steady, high-volume of postings. Job opportunities also exist in hospitals and long-term care facilities. New entrants to nursing shouldn't have too much trouble finding work.

Here are some key facts about Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses in Nova Scotia:

• Approximately 11,200 people work in this occupation.
• Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Hospitals (NAICS 622): 76%
  • Nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623): 12%
  • Ambulatory health care services (NAICS 621): 8%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 82% compared to 82% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 18% compared to 18% for all occupations
• 72% of registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses work all year, while 28% 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 45 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
• Less than 5% of registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses are self-employed compared to an average of 11% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 8% compared to 51% for all occupations
  • Women: 92% 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: less than 5% compared to 27% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 12% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 30% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 57% compared to 20% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 7% compared to 10% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Nova Scotia 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 a "registered nurse (R.N.)" in Nova Scotia or across Canada.

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