Territories Sector Profile: Health Care

Highlights

  • Health care and social assistance is the second largest sector in the territories after public administration. It employed 7,600 people in 2021.
  • The health care and social assistance sector includes four sub-sectors: ambulatory health care services, hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities, and social assistance. This sector profile focuses on the three health care-related subsectors within this sector: ambulatory health care services, hospitals, nursing and residential care.
  • A broad range of occupations exist within health care-related subsectors. These include: registered nurse and registered psychiatric nurse, midwife, nurse practitioner, physician, dentist, and dietician.
  • Employment prospects within health care-related subsectors are expected to be mostly good across the territories between 2021 and 2023. This outlook is driven by four main factors: population growth across the combined territories, an ageing population across the combined territories, staff shortages, and related ongoing recruitment and retention challenges. These factors will create strong demand for health care workers across the territories in the short to medium term.

Territorial Overview

The health care and social assistance sector employs health practitioners and social workers. Employees within this sector provide health care diagnosis and treatment, residential care, and social assistance such as counselling, welfare, child protection, housing, and food services. This sector profile focuses on health practitioners.

Within the broad health care and social assistance sector, in 2021, 3,600 people were employed in Yukon, 2,300 in Northwest Territories and 1,700 in Nunavut. [1] This sector accounted for 12.9 per cent of the total territorial workforce in 2021. Separated employment data is not currently available for health practitioners and social workers.

Line graph showing sector employment from 2011 to 2021

Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, ESDC custom tables

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Health Care and Social Assistance Employment

Year Yukon Northwest Territories Nunavut
2011 2,300 2,500 1,100
2012 2,400 2,400 1,400
2013 2,600 2,300 1,200
2014 2,600 2,300 1,300
2015 2,800 2,000 1,600
2016 3,100 2,400 1,600
2017 3,300 2,500 1,500
2018 3,800 2,700 1,900
2019 3,900 2,800 1,700
2020 3,400 2,200 1,700
2021 3,600 2,300 1,700

Note: Figures shown are employment estimates

In 2021, females represented 76 per cent of the health and social assistance sector's employees in the combined territories. There is slight variation in the gender distribution of employees within health occupations in this sector. Within professional occupations in nursing, 80 per cent of employees were female in 2021. Within professional occupations in health—a grouping that includes physicians, dentists, and pharmacists—75 per cent of employees in the combined territories were female in 2021.

The health care sector within the combined territories has a high proportion of workers over the age of fifty-five. Many of these workers are expected to retire in the short to medium term. For example, in 2020, 35 per cent of all physicians in Yukon fell within this age-range, followed by 32.6 per cent in NWT and 28.0 per cent in Nunavut. [2]

Workers in health care-related subsectors have been essential frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since February 2020, territorial health care staff have been redeployed to help with COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, and vaccinations.

Staffing shortages and burn out from the COVID-19 pandemic are significant current challenges for workers in health care subsectors across the territories. [3] , [4] Due to staffing shortages, some clinics and hospital units in Northwest Territories and Nunavut limited their services throughout 2021 and early 2022. The birthing unit at Stanton Hospital in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories was closed from early December 2021 to mid-February 2022 due to a shortage of nurses. [5] Due to under-staffing, eight health centres in Nunavut were subject to temporary closures in early 2021. [6] In addition, within the general population, lockdowns and isolation have been associated with higher rates of drug overdoses, mental illness, and depression. [7] This has resulted in additional COVID-19-related caseloads for health care workers in the territories.

Chart showing sector employment as a percentage of all industries

Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, ESDC custom tables. Charts reflect 2021 data.

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Health Care and Social Assistance Employment: Percentage of All Industries

Territory % of All Industries
Yukon 16%
Northwest Territories 10%
Nunavut 13%

Sector Trends

The combined population of the territories is growing and ageing. The population of the combined territories grew 13.1 per cent from 2011 to 2021. More recently, from 2020 to 2021, the population of the combined territories increased 0.9 per cent to 127,893. This growth was the result of moderate population increases in Yukon and Nunavut. During this time period, the population over 65 years of age in the combined territories rose by 5.3 per cent. By 2021, this age group made up 9.2 per cent of the overall population in the combined territories. [8] The largest proportion of the population age 65 and over in 2021 was in Yukon (13.8%), followed by Northwest Territories (9.3%), and Nunavut (4.1%).

As a result of demographic changes, the number of health professionals employed across the territories increased from 2011 to 2021. For example, in 2020, Nunavut had 25 physicians, a 78.6 per cent increase compared to 2011. The number of physicians in Northwest Territories and Yukon grew over the same time period by 36.8 per cent and 21.4 per cent, respectively.

As the health care sector within the combined territories has grown, health-related expenses have increased. The forecasted expenses for 2021 were $922M in Northwest Territories, $915M in Nunavut, and $598M in Yukon. In 2011, the corresponding statistics were $503M in Northwest Territories, $434 Nunavut and $317M in Yukon. [9] Funding for the health-related expenses in the territories is secured through taxes, health care premiums and federal government transfers, such as the Canada Health Transfer (CHT) [10] and the Canada Social Transfer (CST) [11] .

Bar graph showing total health expenditures from 2011 to 2021

Note: The most recent years with “(f)” are forecasted
Source: Canadian Institute for Health Information (2021). National Health Expenditure Trends.

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Public and Private Sector Health Expenditures Over Time

Bar graph showing total health expenditures from 2011 to 2021 in Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon. Health-related expenditures have increased over time in all three territories.

There is variation of health care and social assistance spending from one territory to another. On a per capita basis, in 2020, Northwest Territories ($15,779), Nunavut ($15,762) and Yukon ($8,829) led all of Canada in health care spending. [12] Spending in the Territories is significantly higher than in the provinces due to challenges related to providing care to a small population across a large area.

Occupation of Interest: Professional Occupations in Nursing

This section focuses on one occupational grouping within health care-related subsectors: professional occupations in nursing. This occupational grouping covers registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses, and nursing co-ordinators and supervisors. Specific job titles within professional occupations in nursing include: emergency care nurse, public health nurse, nurse researcher, nursing services co-ordinator, and nursing supervisor.

Chart showing employment distribution by gender in 2021

Note: Percentages for the three territories combined
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, ESDC custom table

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Gender Distribution (2021)

Gender % of Occupational Employment
Female 80%
Male 20%

Employees in professional occupations in nursing work in a variety of settings. These range from hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes, to private organizations. Employees in this occupational grouping perform duties such as providing direct nursing care to patients, delivering educational programs, and supervising nursing personnel.

In 2021, there were 1,000 employees in professional occupations in nursing across the three territories. Northwest Territories had 400 employees within this grouping of occupations in 2021, followed by Yukon with 300 employees, and Nunavut with 200 employees. [13]

Line graph showing occupational employment from 2011 to 2021

Note: No data is available for Nunavut in 2011 and 2017
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, ESDC custom table

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Occupational Employment

Year Yukon Northwest Territories Nunavut
2011 300 500 N/A
2012 200 500 200
2013 200 400 200
2014 200 500 200
2015 400 500 300
2016 400 600 200
2017 400 400 N/A
2018 500 500 300
2019 500 400 300
2020 400 400 300
2021 300 400 200

Note: Figures shown are employment estimates. No data is available for Nunavut in 2011 and 2017.

More detailed information on the composition of employees within this occupational grouping is available for 2020. In 2020, Yukon's nursing staff comprised of 14 nurse practitioners and 517 registered nurses (RNs). Of the 517 RNs in Yukon, 50.7 per cent were employed full-time, 35.0 per cent were part-time and 14.3 per cent were casual. Yukon's RNs mainly worked in hospitals (53.6%), followed by community health (28.4%). [14] Equivalent data is not available for RNs in Northwest Territories or Nunavut.

Northwest Territories (NWT) employed 118 licensed nurse practitioners (LPN) in 2020. Of those, 72.9 per cent were full-time, 3.4 per cent were part-time and 23.7 per cent were casual. The majority of Northwest Territories' LPNs worked in nursing homes/long-term care homes (48.3%) followed by hospitals (28.8%). [15] There is no available data on LPNs in Yukon or Nunavut.

In 2020, registered nurses (RNs) and registered psychiatric nurses in the combined territories earned between $33.77 and $86.69 per hour. RNs and registered psychiatric nurses in Nunavut earned the highest median hourly wages within Canada at $67.83 per hour in 2020. [16] Median hourly wages for RNs and registered psychiatric nurses in Yukon were the lowest of all three territories in 2020 ($45.28/hr).

Across the territories, RNs and registered psychiatric nurses have recently experienced low levels of unemployment and strong demand for their services.

Further information on nursing and related professions in Canada can be found here:

Registered Nurse (R.N.)

Licensed Practical Nurse (L.P.N.)

Nurse Practitioner

Employment Outlook

Within the three health care-related subsectors: ambulatory health care services, hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities, employment prospects will be mainly good between 2021 and 2023. This outlook is based on four factors: the presence of Canada-wide ongoing labour shortages within these subsectors, related recruitment and retention challenges, and both the growing and ageing combined territorial population.

The ongoing labour shortage within health care-related subsectors is expected to continue from 2021 to 2023. This will create strong demand for additional health care workers to fill vacancies across the territories in the short to medium term. Recent investments in virtual health care service provision in the territories may help alleviate disruptions to care availability by connecting patients with health care providers in other geographical regions. In 2021, the federal government provided $3.1 million per territory to help Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut develop virtual health care services. [17] , [18] , [19]

Beyond current labour shortages, the recruitment and retention of health care professionals is commonly particularly challenging in the rural and remote areas of Northern Canada. These areas face a higher turnover of staff, including nurses and physicians, than other locations. [20] , [21] Long term recruitment and retention-related challenges will contribute to continued demand for additional health care workers in the territories from 2021 to 2023.

Growing populations in Yukon and Nunavut, and ageing populations—especially in Yukon and Northwest Territories—will also contribute to strong demand for health care workers from 2021 to 2023. These workers will be needed to maintain current patient-to-care giver ratios and quality of care for an older population.

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). Labour Force Survey. Custom Tables. ↑

  2. Canadian Institute for Health Information (2021). Supply, Distribution and Migration of Physicians in Canada, 2020 — Historical Data. ↑

  3. CBC News (2021). Health worker shortage in N.W.T. comes despite 20% increase in pay. ↑

  4. Nunatsiaq News (2021). Nunavut considers incentives for nurses amid shortages and burnout. ↑

  5. CBC News (2022). Some birthing services return to Stanton Territorial Hospital Feb. 22. ↑

  6. Yukon News (2021). ‘A real struggle:' Nursing shortage leading to health centre closures in Nunavut. ↑

  7. CBC News (January 20, 2022). Yukon declares substance use health emergency after 4 deaths in 1st week of January. ↑

  8. Statistics Canada (2022). Population estimates on July 1st, by age and sex. ↑

  9. National Health Expenditure Database, CIHI. National Health Expenditure Trends, 2021. ↑

  10. Government of Canada (2011), Canada Health Transfer. ↑

  11. Government of Canada (2011), Canada Social Transfer. ↑

  12. Government of Canada (2021), Consolidated per capita spending by selected Canadian Classification of Functions of Government, 2020. ↑

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

  14. Canadian Institute for Health Information (2021). Health Workforce in Canada, 2020 — Quick Stats. ↑

  15. Canadian Institute for Health Information (2021). Health Workforce in Canada, 2020 — Quick Stats. ↑

  16. Job Bank (2021). Registered Nurse (R.N.) in Canada | Wages. ↑

  17. Health Canada (2021). Government of Canada Invests $3.1 Million to Expand Virtual Health Care Services in the Northwest Territories. ↑

  18. Health Canada (2021). Government of Canada Invests over $3.1 Million to Expand Virtual Health Care Services in Nunavut. ↑

  19. Government if Yukon (2021). Yukon receives more than $3 million in funding for virtual health care services. ↑

  20. Whitehorse Daily Star (December 2, 2019). ‘Considerable challenges' confront hospital corp. ↑

  21. CBC News (April 11, 2019). 'It's very serious': Relying on short-term doctors may harm health care in Nunavut. ↑

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