Job prospects Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Assistant in Québec

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as an "early childhood educator (ECE) assistant" in Québec or Canada.

Job opportunities in Québec

The employment outlook will be good for Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 4214) in Quebec for the 2022-2024 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.
• There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

• Employment in this occupation is dependent on the number of children attending early childhood centres, child care centres and school-based child care services, as well as government funding for these various services.
• Demographically, the number of preschoolers is expected to increase by 2024, while the number of elementary students is expected to decrease slightly.
• Since the beginning of the pandemic, however, hundreds of family daycares have closed, resulting in a significant increase in the need for childcare spaces across Quebec.
• To meet these needs, the government has committed to adding tens of thousands of subsidized spaces over the next three years and to streamlining the administrative process for building new facilities, which should encourage this occupation in the medium term.
• There is a significant need for workers in this occupation and the government has put in place measures to encourage recruitment, including a scholarship program for which child care technology students are eligible and a paid on-the-job training program.

While it will be good elsewhere, the employment outlook for this occupation will be different in the following regions:

• Moderate: Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine, due to weaker job growth and a higher proportion of unemployed
• Moderate: Lanaudière, Laurentides, due to a lower proportion of retirements
• Limited: Côte-Nord, Nord-du-Québec, due to a higher proportion of unemployed and a lower proportion of retirements

Here are some key facts about Early childhood educators and assistants in Quebec:

• Approximately 84,800 people work in this occupation.
• Early childhood educators and assistants mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Social assistance (NAICS 624): 85%
  • Elementary and secondary schools (NAICS 6111): 13%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 78% compared to 80% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 22% compared to 20% for all occupations
• 50% of early childhood educators and assistants work all year, while 50% work only part of the year, compared to 57% and 42% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 35 weeks compared to 33 weeks for all occupations.
• 23% of early childhood educators and assistants are self-employed compared to an average of 12% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: less than 5% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: more than 95% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: 9% compared to 12% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 16% compared to 20% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 14% compared to 19% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 48% compared to 24% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 11% compared to 16% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 9% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Québec 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 "early childhood educator (ECE) assistant" Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 42202) or Canada.

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