Trends in the employment quality of health care workers

Release date: August 10, 2023
Related article More information PDF version
Infographic: Trends in the employment quality of health care workers
Description: Trends in the employment quality of health care workers

Illness-related absences among nurses reached a record high in 2020


Table 1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 1. The information is grouped by Occupational group (appearing as row headers), Average number of sick days per year among full-time employees, 2019 to 2022 (appearing as column headers).
Occupational group Average number of sick days per year among full-time employees, 2019 to 2022
2019 2020 2021 2022
All health care occupations 14.3 17.6 14.4 18
Nurses 14.9 19.5 15.6 18.5
Personal support workers and care aides 18.2 21.6 19.1 20.8
Other health care workers 10.8 13.3 10.1 15.7

Working long hoursNote 1 was more common among health care employees in the public sector


Table 2
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 2. The information is grouped by Sector (appearing as row headers), Proportion of health care employees who worked long hours, by occupational group, 2022, calculated using All health care occupations, Nurses, Personal support workers and care aides and Other health care workers units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Sector Proportion of health care employees who worked long hours, by occupational group, 2022
All health care occupations Nurses Personal support workers and care aides Other health care workers
Public sector 9.2% 9.9% 8.3% 8.7%
Private sector 6.1% 7.7% 7.0% 5.0%

Retirement and heavy workload – Top reasons why health care workers intended to leave their job


Table 3
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 3. The information is grouped by Primary reason for intending to leave job (appearing as row headers), Proportion of health care workers who intended to leave their job within one year, August 2022 (appearing as column headers).
Primary reason for intending to leave job Proportion of health care workers who intended to leave their job within one year, August 2022Note 2
Retiring 24.6%
Workload too heavy 20.7%
Changing careers 12.9%
Going back to school 12.8%
All other reasons 29.1%

Little change in the proportion of health care workers who voluntarily left their job


Table 4
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 4. The information is grouped by Occupational group (appearing as row headers), Proportion of workers who voluntarily left their job, annual average, 2019 to 2022 (appearing as column headers).
Occupational group Proportion of workers who voluntarily left their job, annual average, 2019 to 2022
2019 2020 2021 2022
All health care occupations 1.4% 1.4% 1.5% 1.4%
Nurses 1.1% 1.2% 1.0% 1.1%
Personal support workers and care aides 2.3% 2.1% 2.2% 2.2%
Other health care workers 1.1% 1.2% 1.3% 1.2%
Workers not in health care 2.0% 1.7% 1.7% 1.9%

Source: Blackwell, A. J., 2023, “Quality of employment and labour market dynamics of health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Insights on Canadian Society, Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 75-006-X.

More information

Note of appreciation

Canada owes the success of its statistical system to a long-standing partnership between Statistics Canada, the citizens of Canada, its businesses, governments and other institutions. Accurate and timely statistical information could not be produced without their continued co-operation and goodwill.

Standards of service to the public

Statistics Canada is committed to serving its clients in a prompt, reliable and courteous manner. To this end, the Agency has developed standards of service which its employees observe in serving its clients.

Copyright

Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada.

© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Industry, 2023

Use of this publication is governed by the Statistics Canada Open Licence Agreement.

Catalogue no. 11-627-M

Frequency: Occasional

Ottawa

Date modified: