Job prospects General Surgeon in Nova Scotia

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "general surgeon" in Nova Scotia or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Nova Scotia

These outlooks were updated on December 11, 2024.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be very good for Specialists in surgery (NOC 31101) in Nova Scotia for the 2024-2026 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to several 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.

The increasing health needs of an aging population favour employment prospects for this occupation. The Nova Scotia Health Authority has been actively recruiting specialist physicians. Recruitment is an extensive process, often taking months, that involves health providers and community members. Some positions remain difficult to fill, as the health authority must compete with other provinces to attact highly-specialized physicians, especially those based in more-rural parts of Nova Scotia.

Here are some key facts about Specialists in surgery in Nova Scotia:

• Approximately 400 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
• Specialists in surgery mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Hospitals (NAICS 622): 67%
  • Ambulatory health care services (NAICS 621): 33%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 94% compared to 82% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 6% compared to 18% for all occupations
• 59% of specialists in surgery work all year, while 41% 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 45 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
• 55% of specialists in surgery are self-employed compared to an average of 11% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 77% compared to 51% for all occupations
  • Women: 23% 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: n/a
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: n/a
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: n/a
  • bachelor's degree: n/a
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: more than 95% compared to 10% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Nova Scotia 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 "general surgeon" in Nova Scotia or across Canada.

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