Healthcare vacancy rate in Quebec doubled in past four years

Once again, the healthcare and social assistance industry has one of the highest vacancy rates in Quebec. According to data released Thursday by the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ), the vacancy rate in this sector has doubled in four years.

In 2023, the vacancy rate in healthcare and social assistance stood at 7.4 per cent, or 43,000 positions. In 2019, it was 3.5 per cent.

The average for all Quebec industries for 2023 is 4.5 per cent.

For nurses, the number of vacancies has increased the most, rising from around 3,500 in 2019 to around 9,900 in 2023.

This is not the only profession where vacancies are piling up. In 2023, there were around 7,200 vacancies for nurses’ aides, care assistants and orderlies, compared with 4,100 in 2019.

Overall, the data show that between 2019 and 2023, around 25,000 vacancies were added in the health and social assistance sector. “It should be noted that, at the same time, there has also been a growth of around 36,000 salaried jobs in this industry, which have been filled, testifying to the increased needs of the workforce in the field,” reads the ISQ analysis. As the population ages, the need for services to the population is increasing in the healthcare sector.

Quebec is not the only province facing challenges in filling healthcare positions. In recent years, Ontario has also seen a growth in vacancies in the healthcare sector, but this declined in 2023. The vacancy rate in the health and social assistance industry in Ontario stands at 6.0 per cent, widening the gap with Quebec, which continues to see this rate climb.

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