Job prospects Unit Assistant - Medical in Newfoundland and Labrador

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as an "unit assistant - medical" in Newfoundland and Labrador or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Newfoundland and Labrador

These outlooks were updated on November 29, 2023.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be good for Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (NOC 33102) in Newfoundland and Labrador 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 moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

Demand for the services of this occupation is high and expected to increase, as the aging population requires more care. However, financial constraints are expected to somewhat dampen growth prospects. Staffing shortages have been reported in facilities throughout the province, resulting in large workloads and forced overtime. One example of shortages has been in the lack of sufficient temporary staff needed to fill in for vacation, sick leave, and other absences by permanent employees. The provincial government has expanded its nursing college programs to help address shortfalls.

Here are some key facts about Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates in Newfoundland and Labrador:

• Approximately 5,150 people work in this occupation.
• Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623): 33%
  • Hospitals (NAICS 622): 28%
  • Social assistance (NAICS 624): 23%
  • Ambulatory health care services (NAICS 621): 7%
  • Private households (NAICS 814): 6%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 80% compared to 83% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 20% compared to 17% for all occupations
• 61% of nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates work all year, while 39% work only part of the year, compared to 56% and 43% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 41 weeks compared to 40 weeks for all occupations.
• Less than 5% of nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates are self-employed compared to an average of 8% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 12% compared to 51% for all occupations
  • Women: 88% compared to 49% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: 12% compared to 11% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 32% compared to 27% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 30% compared to 17% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 19% compared to 23% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: less than 5% compared to 14% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 7% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Newfoundland and Labrador 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 "unit assistant - medical" in Newfoundland and Labrador or across Canada.

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