Job prospects Physician, Primary Care in Nova Scotia

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "physician, primary care" 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 General practitioners and family physicians (NOC 31102) 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.

Health care demands from an aging population and a restricted supply of workers contribute to opportunities for this occupation. There are ongoing reports in the media of doctor shortages in Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Health Authority has been actively recruiting, and some positions remain difficult to fill. Extensive recruiting may be necessary at times to fill a position.

Here are some key facts about General practitioners and family physicians in Nova Scotia:

• Approximately 1,500 people work in this occupation.
• General practitioners and family physicians mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Ambulatory health care services (NAICS 621): 55%
  • Hospitals (NAICS 622): 43%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 92% compared to 82% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 8% compared to 18% for all occupations
• 71% of general practitioners and family physicians 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 47 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
• 62% of general practitioners and family physicians are self-employed compared to an average of 11% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 50% compared to 51% for all occupations
  • Women: 50% compared to 49% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: n/a
  • high school diploma or equivalent: n/a
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: n/a
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: n/a
  • bachelor's degree: n/a
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: more than 95% 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 "physician, primary care" in Nova Scotia or across Canada.

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