Job prospects Special Education Assistant in Prince Edward Island

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "special education assistant" in Prince Edward Island or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Prince Edward Island

The recent trends from the past 3 years were updated on July 25, 2025. The job outlooks over the next 3 years were updated on December 10, 2025.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be Moderate for elementary and secondary school teacher assistants (NOC 43100) in Prince Edward Island for the 2025-2027 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.

Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants in Prince Edward Island continue to be in demand, particularly for those trained to work with special needs students or newcomers requiring additional support. The province's 2025–26 capital budget includes funding for new schools and renovations, reflecting record enrolment growth and the need for expanded classroom support. Teacher assistants are increasingly relied upon to help address students' social, emotional, and mental health challenges, and to provide inclusive learning environments. Most opportunities are part-time, substitute, or term contracts, though demand is steady across the province. Employers typically prefer candidates with college diplomas or postsecondary training in fields such as Educational Assistance, Child and Youth Care, or Early Childhood Education, and specialized skills like sign language, Braille, or adaptive technology can significantly improve prospects. For new graduates or career changers, this occupation offers stable employment, valuable experience in education, and clear pathways into specialized or permanent roles, though flexibility and willingness to work across different schools are often required. 

Here are some key facts about elementary and secondary school teacher assistants in Prince Edward Island:

• Approximately 700 people work in this occupation.
• Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Elementary and secondary schools (NAICS 6111): more than 95%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 83% compared to 84% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 17% compared to 16% for all occupations
• 12% of elementary and secondary school teacher assistants work all year, while 88% work only part of the year, compared to 59% and 41% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 38 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 8% compared to 51% for all occupations
  • Women: 92% compared to 49% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 11% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 16% compared to 28% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 8% compared to 11% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 56% compared to 25% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 16% compared to 17% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 8% for all occupations

Labour market conditions over the next 10 years

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