Job prospects Youth Worker in Ontario

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as an "youth worker" in Ontario or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Ontario

These outlooks were updated on November 29, 2023.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be good for Social and community service workers (NOC 42201) in Ontario 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 moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

What Types of Employers Are Out There?

• The majority are employed in health care and social assistance services, with the leading share in individual and family services, and nursing and residential care facilities
• Public administration, mainly with municipal governments

What are the Main Trends Affecting Employment?

• Investments in youth and community outreach programs
• Expansions to shelter spaces
• Public sector spending for mental health and addiction services
• Funding commitments to support individuals with developmental disabilities

What Skills Do I Need to Succeed?

• Child and Youth Worker, and Developmental Services Worker are the names of two voluntary skilled trades available for this occupational group
• The Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers regulates social service workers; only members of this College can use the titles “social service worker” or “registered social service worker”

What Other Information Will I Find Helpful?

• This occupation, ‘social and community service workers,’ is distinct from the occupation title ‘social workers.’

Here are some key facts about Social and community service workers in Ontario:

• Approximately 44,650 people work in this occupation.
• Social and community service workers mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Social assistance (NAICS 624): 36%
  • Nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623): 25%
  • Local, municipal, regional, aboriginal and other public administration (NAICS 913-919): 7%
  • Ambulatory health care services (NAICS 621): 6%
  • Religious, grant-making, civic, and professional and similar organizations (NAICS 813): 5%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 81% compared to 81% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 19% compared to 19% for all occupations
• 68% of social and community service workers work all year, while 32% work only part of the year, compared to 63% and 37% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 44 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 21% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: 79% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 9% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 13% compared to 25% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 8% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 45% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 27% compared to 24% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 9% compared to 13% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Ontario 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 an "youth worker" Social and community service workers (NOC 42201) or across Canada.

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