Job prospects Special Education Teacher - Elementary School in Nunavut

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "special education teacher - elementary school" in Nunavut or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Nunavut

These outlooks were updated on December 11, 2024.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be good for Elementary school and kindergarten teachers (NOC 41221) in Nunavut 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.
• High employee turnover in this occupation could lead to additional employment opportunities.

• Nunavut has four regional school operations offices: Qikiqtani, Kivalliq, Kitikmeot, and the Commission scolaire francophone du Nunavut.
• Each regional school operations office hires its own education employees.
• This occupation is expected to be in demand throughout the forecast period because of ongoing local and nationwide teacher staffing shortages.
• Staffing shortages in Nunavut's education sector were present at the start of the fall 2024 school year, with 128.5 vacancies reported as of August 19, 2024 (Nunavut News, August 27, 2024). 
• A housing shortage, particularly in rural communities, is also affecting the Territory's ability to recruit and retain qualified teachers.
• In the 2023-2024 school year, a full-day kindergarten pilot program was introduced at five schools. The program was expanded to seven additional schools for the 2024-2025 school year. 
• Local training for this occupation is available at Nunavut Arctic College, which offers the Nunavut Teacher Education Program. The Program can lead to a Certificate, Diploma, or Bachelor of Education degree, in partnership with Memorial University. The program aims to prepare graduates to teach Kindergarten through Grade 6 in Inuktut.
• Looking beyond the forecast period, the Conference Board of Canada (2024) predicts that this occupation will be in the top two in terms of number of openings of all occupations in Nunavut from 2024 to 2045, with 404 expected openings.

Here are some key facts about Elementary school and kindergarten teachers in Nunavut:

• Approximately 450 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
• Elementary school and kindergarten teachers mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Educational services (NAICS 61): 95%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 93% compared to 87% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 7% compared to 13% for all occupations
• 93% of elementary school and kindergarten teachers work all year, while 7% work only part of the year, compared to 72% and 28% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 50 weeks compared to 44 weeks for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 18% compared to 51% for all occupations
  • Women: 82% compared to 49% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: 7% compared to 37% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 13% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 7% compared to 11% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 11% compared to 15% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 49% compared to 10% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 13% compared to 6% for all occupations

Job prospects elsewhere in Canada

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "special education teacher - elementary school" Elementary school and kindergarten teachers (NOC 41221) or across Canada.

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