Manitoba Sector Profile: Health Care

Highlights

  • In 2021, approximately 82,700 people were employed in Manitoba's health care sector. This represented 12.7% of employment in all industries in Manitoba.
  • In 2021, women made up over three quarters (77.2%) of health care sector total employment. 
  • This report covers heath care subsectors of ambulatory health care services (NAICS 621), hospitals (NAICS 622), and nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623). The occupation in focus is registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses.
  • Within the three health care-related subsectors, employment prospects will be good between 2021 and 2023. Ongoing labour shortages, recruitment and retention challenges, and both a growing and aging population are key drivers for the positive outlook.

Provincial Overview

The health care sector provides invaluable support to the health and wellbeing of Manitobans as they navigate their everyday lives. There were approximately 82,700 Manitobans employed in the health care sector in 2021, which accounted for nearly 13% of the province's total employment. [1]

Line graph showing sector employment from 2011 to 2021

Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, ESDC custom table

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Health Care Employment

Year Employment (Total) Full-time Part-time
2011 74,400 55,100 19,400
2012 74,400 55,300 19,000
2013 75,600 57,200 18,400
2014 77,900 60,500 17,500
2015 79,500 60,100 19,400
2016 79,000 60,700 18,300
2017 78,100 58,400 19,700
2018 81,100 61,400 19,700
2019 80,700 61,000 19,700
2020 77,900 58,900 19,000
2021 82,700 62,900 19,800

Note: Figures shown are employment estimates. Totals may not add to 100% due to rounding.

Employment in health care is spread across Manitoba's five Regional Health Authorities and the following eight economic regions: Southeast, South Central, Southwest, North Central, Winnipeg, Interlake, Parkland, and North. In 2021, the Winnipeg region accounted for over two thirds of the health care sector's total employment (63.9%). [2] The Southwest region accounted for the second highest share of employment within the sector (8.6%), followed by the Southeast (8.0%), Interlake (7.1%), South Central and North Central (6.7%), and combined Parklands and North (5.6%) regions. [3]

Employment in health care is composed of occupations in hospitals, ambulatory health care services, and nursing and residential care facilities. Occupations in hospitals represented nearly half of the province's health care employment in 2021, with 71% of those jobs concentrated at the city of Winnipeg's five hospitals. [4] Ambulatory health care services and nursing and residential care facilities accounted for 26.7% and 23.3% of employment respectively. [5]

Bar graph showing subsector employment distribution in 2021

Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, ESDC custom table

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Subsector Employment (2021)

Subsector % of Sector Employment
Hospitals 50%
Ambulatory Health Care Services 27%
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities 23%

Sector Trends

Manitoba's health care sector has been adapting to the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic and struggling with a multitude of factors across the province. Nursing shortages, ICU capacity issues and ambulance personnel shortages have significantly impacted the sector. In 2021, multiple economic regions in the province recorded decreases in the sector's overall employment. Such observations can be made in the Parklands and North (-800 or 14.8%), Southwest (-1000 or 12.3%) and South Central and North Central (-600 or 9.8%) economic regions. [6] The Winnipeg region experienced the highest jump in employment +2,700 (5.4%). [7] However, despite some contractions, employment has been on a steady increase and the sector is growing. In fact, over a ten-year period (2011-2021), employment in Manitoba's health care sector increased by 8,300 (11.2%). As of 2021, the sector is at an all time high for employment (82,700). [8]

Chart showing employment distribution by gender in 2021

Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, ESDC custom table

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Gender Distribution (2021)

Gender % of Sector Employment
Female 77%
Male 23%

The overwhelming majority of health care workers in Manitoba are women. In 2021, women made up over three quarters (77.2%) of the sector's total employment. However, representation of men in the health care sector has been increasing over time with a 10-year change of +3,200 (+20.3%) workers. Men represented nearly 23% of this sector in 2021 compared to 21.1% in 2011. [9]

In 2021, young workers (ages 15-24) represented 8.1% (6,700) of the health care sector in Manitoba. Employment for young workers in health care varied on a year-to-year basis with increases and decreases not always following the larger overall trends in the sector. Despite these fluctuations, employment in this age group was up 1,400 (+25%) workers over the ten-year period from 2011 to 2021. [10]

Chart showing employment distribution by age in 2021

Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, ESDC custom table

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Age Distribution (2021)

Age Group % of Sector Employment
15-24 years 8%
25-54 years 72%
55+ years 20%

In 2021, Indigenous people in Manitoba represented 13% of total employment in hospitals and 15% of total employment in nursing and residential care facilities. Indigenous people continue to be under-represented in health care employment in the province. [11]

More recently, the trend in the sector has been one of large shortages across the province, especially in nursing. At the end of September 2021, Shared Health reported that 21.2% of registered nursing positions were vacant. [12] These shortages have been especially acute in rural Manitoba where hiring and retention is challenging. [13] Staff shortages in health care are not exclusive to nursing. Paramedical professions are also struggling to find and retain workers. Some rural regions in Manitoba are facing up to a 30% vacancy rate in these professions. [14] The Medical Transportation Coordination Centre has indicated that there were over 17,000 hours in September 2021 when ambulances in Manitoba could not be staffed because of vacancies. [15]

Occupation of Interest: Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses

Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses provide direct nursing services for patients, including administration of intervention and treatments, delivery of health education programs, and coordination of patient care and discharge. They can also provide consultative and counselling services and perform leadership duties within health care teams. The employment outlook in Manitoba for this occupational group will be good between 2021 and 2023.

In 2021, approximately 15,200 people were employed in this occupation across Manitoba. Of these, 74% worked full-time (compared to 81% for all occupations) and 26% worked part-time (compared to 19% for all occupations). Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses work in variety of public and private settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centres, and clinics. The majority of registered nurses were employed in hospitals (69%) followed by nursing and residential care facilities (13%). [16]

Stacked bar graph showing occupational employment from 2011 to 2021

Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, ESDC custom table

Show graphic in plain text

Occupational Employment

Year Employment (Total) Full-time Part-time
2011 12,400 8,500 3,900
2012 12,300 8,500 3,800
2013 12,400 8,700 3,700
2014 13,600 10,000 3,600
2015 13,700 9,500 4,200
2016 13,000 9,000 4,000
2017 11,900 7,900 4,000
2018 12,600 9,700 2,900
2019 11,300 8,500 2,800
2020 12,300 9,500 2,800
2021 15,200 11,300 3,900

Note: Figures shown are employment estimates. Totals may not add to 100% due to rounding.

There is a critical shortage of registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses throughout the entire province. As of November 1, 2021, vacancy rates reported across the province include the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority at 17.3%, Southern Health Region at 21.2%, and the Northern Health Region at 25.2% – the highest rate across the province. [17]

In 2020, registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses in Manitoba earned between $32.00 and $46.00 per hour. The median hourly pay was $42.00 per hour – $2.00 per hour more than the national average. [18]

For more information on the job description, job duties, job titles, and related occupations, please see the profile of Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses, which includes up to date information on wages and job prospects.

Employment Outlook

Within the three health care subsectors, employment prospects will be mainly good between 2021 and 2023. The outlook is based on four factors: the ongoing labour shortage, recruitment and retention challenges, and both a growing and aging population.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to place added pressure on the health care system, compounding the ongoing shortage of health care workers throughout the province. Re-allocation of resources towards the COVID-19 response has contributed to overwhelming workloads and stress, especially for frontline workers [19] , and resulted in significant backlogs for medical and diagnostic procedures. Pressures to protect the health and safety of workers, maintain quality of patient care, and clear backlogs [20] , should translate into an increase in employment opportunities within each subsector.

Recruitment and retention of health care professionals pose a significant challenge province-wide. In health care, the importance of recruitment and retention is no more pronounced than in nursing professions, where high demand for their transferable skills enables opportunities for career mobility. Existing shortages combined with high staff turnover rates, especially in northern and remote areas, will contribute to a strong demand for health care professionals from 2021 to 2023.

A growing and aging population will mean a rise in demand for health care services. Mental health programs and services become increasingly important as people struggle to cope with psychological repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. [21] The necessity to keep pace with the demand for services present opportunities for employment growth in each subsector.

Key initiatives and investments by the province of Manitoba that support a good health care sector employment outlook include, but are not limited to:

Implementation of the Undergraduate Nurse Employee (UNE) program, giving third or fourth-year nursing students the opportunity to acquire paid work experience in in-patient care teams within surgical, medicine and mental health units. [22]

Creation of an additional 400 nursing education seats province-wide over the next few years, including 37 additional seats at the University College of the North. [23]

Allocation of funds in Budget 2021 for COVID-19 and mental help support, reducing wait times, and providing care closer to home. [24]

Construction of new and expansion and renovation of existing health care facilities across the province; an $812 million investment to support better access, improve patient care, and reduce wait times. [25]

Note

In preparing this document, the authors have taken care to provide clients with labour market information that is timely and accurate at the time of publication. Since labour market conditions are dynamic, some of the information presented here may have changed since this document was published. Users are encouraged to also refer to other sources for additional information on the local economy and labour market. Information contained in this document does not necessarily reflect official policies of Employment and Social Development Canada.

Prepared by: Labour Market Information (LMI) Directorate, Service Canada, Western Canada and Territories Region

For further information, please contact the LMI team

Endnotes

  1. Statistics Canada (2022).  Table 14-10-0023-01  Labour force characteristics by industry, annual (x 1,000). ↑

  2. Statistics Canada (2022).  Table 14-10-0023-01  Labour force characteristics by industry, annual (x 1,000). ↑

  3. Statistics Canada (2022).  Table 14-10-0023-01  Labour force characteristics by industry, annual (x 1,000). ↑

  4. Statistics Canada (2022).  Table 14-10-0023-01  Labour force characteristics by industry, annual (x 1,000). ↑

  5. Statistics Canada (2022).  Table 14-10-0023-01  Labour force characteristics by industry, annual (x 1,000). ↑

  6. Statistics Canada (2022).  Table 14-10-0023-01  Labour force characteristics by industry, annual (x 1,000). ↑

  7. Statistics Canada (2022).  Table 14-10-0023-01  Labour force characteristics by industry, annual (x 1,000). ↑

  8. Statistics Canada (2022). Labour Force Survey. Custom Table. ↑

  9. Statistics Canada (2022). Labour Force Survey. Custom Table. ↑

  10. Statistics Canada (2022). Labour Force Survey. Custom Table. ↑

  11. Statistics Canada (2022). Labour Force Survey. Custom Table. ↑

  12. Winnipeg Free Press (November 26, 2021). Nurse-vacancy rates in rural Manitoba top 20 per cent. ↑

  13. CBC News (November 25, 2021). Agency nurse shortage leaves 'unacceptable' holiday closures at rural emergency rooms. ↑

  14. The Graphic Leader (August 29, 2021). Rural paramedics facing critical staff shortage, says union. ↑

  15. CBC News (January 07, 2022). Ambulances in rural Manitoba increasingly sitting idle due to staff shortages. ↑

  16. Statistics Canada (2022). Labour Force Survey. Custom Table. ↑

  17. CBC News (November 30, 2021). 'Desperate for help' as nursing vacancies soar in northern Manitoba, union says in urgent plea. ↑

  18. Job Bank (2021). Registered Nurse (R.N.) in Canada. ↑

  19. Winnipeg Sun (January 13, 2022). Dire but not hopeless: More must be done to protect healthcare workers. ↑

  20. Doctors Manitoba (January 13, 2022). Surgery & Diagnostic Backlog Dashboard. ↑

  21. Province of Manitoba (2021). Care for Your Mental Health. ↑

  22. Province of Manitoba News Release (July 08, 2021). Province announces plan to increase seats. investments to support internationally educated nurses on pathway to licensure. ↑

  23. Province of Manitoba News Release (December 14, 2021). Province to increase nurse training seats in north. ↑

  24. Province of Manitoba Budget (2021). Budget 2021. ↑

  25. Province of Manitoba News Release (August 23, 2021). Historic $812-Million Investment in Health-Care Facilities will Improve Access and Quality of Care for Manitoba Families. ↑

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