Job prospects Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Assistant near Yellowknife (NT)

The employment outlook will be moderate for Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 42202) in Northwest Territories for the 2023-2025 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment is expected to remain relatively stable.
• Not many positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

In 2021, the NWT government signed an agreement worth $51 million over five years. The agreement gives the NWT two targets to achieve by 2026: bring the cost of childcare down to $10 a day and create 300 net new spaces. As pf September 2022, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment says it has reached 171 net new spaces (Cabin Radio 2023). 

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

• Approximately 200 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
• Early childhood educators and assistants mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Health care and social services (NAICS 62): 79%
  • Educational services (NAICS 61): 15%
  • Public Administration and Defence (NAICS 91): 6%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 77% compared to 88% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 23% compared to 12% for all occupations
• 53% of early childhood educators and assistants work all year, while 47% work only part of the year, compared to 71% and 28% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 41 weeks compared to 44 weeks for all occupations.
• 11% of early childhood educators and assistants are self-employed compared to an average of 7% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 9% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: 91% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: 20% compared to 17% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 25% compared to 26% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 8% compared to 12% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 31% compared to 18% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 12% compared to 17% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 9% for all occupations

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology