Job prospects Graduate Nurse in British Columbia

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "graduate nurse" in British Columbia or across Canada.

Job opportunities in British Columbia

These outlooks were updated on December 11, 2024.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be good for Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (NOC 31301) in British Columbia for the 2024-2026 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.

In March of 2024, the Government of B.C. in partnership with the BC Nurses' Union determined minimum nurse-to-patient ratios. The announcement was supported by $237 million to help retain current nurses and recruit new nurses. This model is the first of its kind in Canada.

There continues to be acute labour shortages, affecting the delivery of health care services in various parts of the province, especially in rural areas.

Here are some key facts about Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses in British Columbia:

• Approximately 48,300 people work in this occupation.
• Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Hospitals (NAICS 622): 79%
  • Ambulatory health care services (NAICS 621): 10%
  • Nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623): 7%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 76% compared to 78% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 24% compared to 22% for all occupations
• 70% of registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses work all year, while 30% work only part of the year, compared to 61% and 39% 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 17% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 10% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: 90% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 8% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: less than 5% compared to 28% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 13% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 27% compared to 17% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 59% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 10% compared to 12% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in British Columbia by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Job prospects elsewhere in Canada

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