Job prospects Illustrator And Graphic Designer in Nova Scotia

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as an "illustrator and graphic designer" in Nova Scotia or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Nova Scotia

These outlooks were updated on November 29, 2023.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be moderate for Graphic designers and illustrators (NOC 52120) in Nova Scotia for the 2023-2025 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

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

Self-employment, or freelance work, is fairly common and opportunities tend to be for part-time or contract positions. In today's digital environment, graphic design services can be met remotely (at a distance), which opens the door to greater competition. Job postings for graphic designers have shown a steady decline over the years, and there have been reports of high competition for some full-time positions. However, the video gaming and animation sector continues to be active in the province, especially in the Halifax area.

Here are some key facts about Graphic designers and illustrators in Nova Scotia:

• Approximately 1,850 people work in this occupation.
• Graphic designers and illustrators mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Architectural, engineering and design services (NAICS 5413): 27%
  • Information and cultural industries (NAICS 51): 18%
  • Computer systems design services (NAICS 5415): 11%
  • Arts, entertainment and recreation (NAICS 71): 9%
  • Other professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS 5414, 5416-5419): 8%
• 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
• 62% of graphic designers and illustrators work all year, while 38% 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 43 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
• 34% of graphic designers and illustrators are self-employed compared to an average of 11% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 53% compared to 51% for all occupations
  • Women: 47% compared to 49% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 10% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 13% compared to 27% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 12% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 40% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 35% compared to 20% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 5% compared to 10% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Nova Scotia by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Job prospects elsewhere in Canada

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as an "illustrator and graphic designer" Graphic designers and illustrators (NOC 52120) or across Canada.

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