Job prospects Registered Nurse (R.N.) in Ontario

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "registered nurse (R.N.)" in Ontario or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Ontario

These outlooks were updated on December 11, 2024.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be very good for Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (NOC 31301) in Ontario 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.

What Types of Employers Are Out There?

• The majority are employed in hospitals
• Nursing and residential care facilities

What are the Main Trends Affecting Employment?

• Increased need for health-related services to support the growing and aging population in Ontario
• Greater demand on the health care system because of the backlog of medical procedures and patient care needs
• Major investments in health care facilities
• Initiatives to improve home and community-based patient care services

What Skills Do I Need to Succeed?

• Registered nurses are regulated by the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO)
• The CNO does not regulate or recognize psychiatric nurses as a distinct profession
• Psychiatric nurses seeking registration in Ontario are required to first complete programs as a registered nurse (RN) or registered practical nurse (RPN)     

What Other Information Will I Find Helpful?

• Generally, Bridging Programs are available to assist internationally trained professionals in various fields enter the labour market more quickly in the province.

Here are some key facts about Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses in Ontario:

• Approximately 112,600 people work in this occupation.
• Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Hospitals (NAICS 622): 71%
  • Ambulatory health care services (NAICS 621): 12%
  • Nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623): 12%
• 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
• 73% of registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses work all year, while 27% 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 46 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
• Less than 5% of registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses are self-employed compared to an average of 15% 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: less than 5% compared to 9% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: less than 5% 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: 38% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 50% 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

Job prospects elsewhere in Canada

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "registered nurse (R.N.)" in Ontario or across Canada.

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