Job prospects Social Worker in Nova Scotia

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "social worker" 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 good for Social workers (NOC 41300) in Nova Scotia for the 2023-2025 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
• A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

Job opportunities in this profession are influenced by government funding and factors related to the general wellness of the population. Growing services for veterans and those with mental-health issues, alongside an aging population, are positive factors for the employment prospects for this occupation. The provincial social workers association has reported on the long-standing issue of turnover in the occupation related to the stressful work environment, high caseloads and staff burnout. Many new social workers begin their career in child services, as job tends to be more available, before progressing into other areas of social work.

Here are some key facts about Social workers in Nova Scotia:

• Approximately 1,700 people work in this occupation.
• Social workers mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Social assistance (NAICS 624): 28%
  • Hospitals (NAICS 622): 23%
  • Provincial and territorial public administration (NAICS 912): 19%
  • Ambulatory health care services (NAICS 621): 7%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 93% compared to 82% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 7% compared to 18% for all occupations
• 81% of social workers work all year, while 19% 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 47 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
• Less than 5% of social workers are self-employed compared to an average of 11% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 14% compared to 51% for all occupations
  • Women: 86% 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: less than 5% 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: less than 5% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 51% compared to 20% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 43% compared to 10% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Nova Scotia by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Labour market conditions over the next 10 years

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "social worker" Social workers (NOC 41300) or across Canada.

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