Job prospects Chef near Charlottetown (PE)

Over the past few years (2021-2023), there was a labour shortage for Chefs near Charlottetown (PE). There were more job openings than workers available to fill them in this occupation.

Source Labour Market Information | Recent Trends Methodology

The employment outlook will be good for Chefs (NOC 62200) in Prince Edward Island for the 2024-2026 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

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

The prospect for employment in this occupation is positive over the forecast period. Employers rely on the Temporary Foreign Worker program to fill temporary jobs/vacancies in this occupation when qualified Canadian labour is not available. Job opportunities for chefs are mainly driven by the level of consumer spending and tourism activities in food services including restaurants, and to a lesser extent, in accommodation services such as hotels.  

The Island economy is projected to expand at a respectable pace over the forecast period which should support employment growth in this occupation. This is based on the expectation that interest rates will continue to fall which will encourage more consumer spending and business investment.

The Island's tourism sector generated some solid momentum in recent years, building off of a strong post-pandemic recovery in 2022. There were considerable gains in tourist traffic in 2024 as well as another strong cruise ship season which generated significant economic spin-offs in the sector. Looking forward, the Island's tourism sector is expected to maintain its momentum thanks in part to a new five-year growth strategy that was introduced in 2024. The plan aims to expand tourism activity in the province and generate more visitor traffic during the shoulder and winter seasons. This in turn should contribute to improved job prospects over the forecast period.

However a key challenge for operators was staffing shortages, particularly for red seal chefs and sous-chefs. Employment prospects tend to be better in population centres where the concentration of accommodation and food establishments is greater. Job openings can be seasonal particularly in rural areas where resorts and tourist facilities may only open for part of the year. Workers with experience preparing ethnic cuisines may have improved prospects given the growing cultural diversity of the province. Chefs interested in establishing their own business may wish to explore appropriate investment opportunities.

Here are some key facts about Chefs in Prince Edward Island:

• Approximately 250 people work in this occupation.
• Chefs mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Food services and drinking places (NAICS 722): 64%
  • Accommodation services (NAICS 721): 11%
  • Hospitals (NAICS 622): 10%
  • Nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623): 8%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 83% compared to 84% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 17% compared to 16% for all occupations
• 38% of chefs work all year, while 62% work only part of the year, compared to 59% and 41% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 36 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
• 14% of chefs are self-employed compared to an average of 13% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 62% compared to 51% for all occupations
  • Women: 38% compared to 49% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 11% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 27% compared to 28% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 18% compared to 11% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 38% compared to 25% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 7% compared to 17% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 5% compared to 8% for all occupations

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology