Job prospects Licensed Practical Nurse (L.P.N.) in Québec

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "licensed practical nurse (L.P.N.)" in Québec or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Québec

These outlooks were updated on November 29, 2023.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be good for Licensed practical nurses (NOC 32101) in Quebec for the 2023-2025 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to several new positions.
• Not many positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

The demand for this occupation is high, which can be explained by population growth and ageing, as well as government health priorities.

Each year, the government adds measures and increases budgets to improve healthcare services and make them more accessible to the public. The opening of a number of seniors' homes, along with improvements to home care, will support the creation of many jobs in this profession.

New perspectives on how work in healthcare is organized also support demand for this occupation. While members of this profession previously worked primarily with seniors, they are now integrated into various teams, including family medicine groups, operating rooms, specialized clinics, and home support teams.

To ease the significant shortage of staff, the government introduced measures to promote recruitment, including accelerated training and scholarships.

In order to practice this profession in Quebec, you must have a licence from the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers auxiliaires du Québec (OIIAQ). To obtain this licence, you must have a diploma of vocational studies in health, assistance and nursing or recognized equivalency and pass the OIIAQ's professional exam.

While the employment outlook for this occupation is good at the provincial level, it will be moderate in the regions of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Côte-Nord and Nord-du-Québec.

Here are some key facts about Licensed practical nurses in Quebec:

• Approximately 21,450 people work in this occupation.
• Licensed practical nurses mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Hospitals (NAICS 622): 61%
  • Nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623): 22%
  • Ambulatory health care services (NAICS 621): 10%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 82% compared to 82% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 18% compared to 18% for all occupations
• 73% of licensed practical nurses work all year, while 27% work only part of the year, compared to 62% and 38% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 46 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
• Less than 5% of licensed practical nurses are self-employed compared to an average of 12% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 11% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: 89% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 12% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: less than 5% compared to 19% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 68% compared to 19% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 22% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: less than 5% compared to 17% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 11% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Québec by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Job prospects elsewhere in Canada

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "licensed practical nurse (L.P.N.)" in Québec or across Canada.

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