Job prospects Post-secondary Research Assistant in Prince Edward Island

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "post-secondary research assistant" in Prince Edward Island or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Prince Edward Island

These outlooks were updated on December 11, 2024.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be moderate for Post-secondary teaching and research assistants (NOC 41201) in Prince Edward Island for the 2024-2026 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of 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.
• High employee turnover in this occupation could lead to additional employment opportunities.

The main drivers of employment growth in this occupation include student enrolment, government investments in education, and public and private funding for university research. Post-secondary education enrolment has risen considerably in the province over the years, thanks in large part to the growth in international student enrolment. However, federal cuts to the number of international student permits being issued over the next couple of years which may have some affect on growth prospects for this occupation.

 

Labour needs will stem primarily from positions vacated by teaching and research assistants at the post-secondary level who complete their studies and move on to other occupations. This underlines the high turnover in this occupation. Job opportunities will be accessible essentially to students who have a bachelor's degree and who are enrolled in a master's or doctoral program in a relevant field of specialization. Candidates are selected on the basis of their academic results and their communication skills.

Here are some key facts about Post-secondary teaching and research assistants in Prince Edward Island:

• Approximately 300 people work in this occupation.
• Post-secondary teaching and research assistants mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Universities (NAICS 6113): 92%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 74% compared to 84% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 26% compared to 16% for all occupations
• 41% of post-secondary teaching and research assistants work all year, while 59% work only part of the year, compared to 59% and 41% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 37 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 42% compared to 51% for all occupations
  • Women: 57% compared to 49% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: n/a
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 25% compared to 28% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: n/a
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: less than 5% compared to 25% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 40% compared to 17% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 31% compared to 8% for all occupations

Job prospects elsewhere in Canada

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "post-secondary research assistant" Post-secondary teaching and research assistants (NOC 41201) or across Canada.

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