Occupational Demand (Outlook)

This page talks about the best job opportunities from 2025 to 2027 period. 

This page provides a summary of Service Canada’s 2025 to 2027 occupational employment scenario. 

Jobs are grouped by broad occupational category. Some key highlights are:

  • There could be around 40,200job openings during the forecast period.
  • The number of expected job opportunities is more than one-third lower than last year’s forecast. This decline is mainly due to slower job growth. The number of job openings caused by people leaving the workforce, such as through retirement or career changes, remains about the same as last year. 
  • In recent years, job growth was supported by strong population growth. This growth has slowed because fewer people are moving from other provinces and because of changes to immigration policy.
  • Opportunities outside of Halifax are expected to contribute slightly more than half of all job opportunities in the province.
  • Outside of Halifax, attrition will account for a larger share of openings because a larger share of the workforce is closer to retirement age and job growth is slower. The job growth rate is expected to be somewhat higher in Halifax.

In the 2025-2027 forecast scenario, employment prospect calls were produced for 384 out of 516 occupations. 

  • Of these, 135 occupations were assigned a Good or Very Good call, meaning it is likely that someone looking for a job will have a good chance of finding work. Just under 56% of workers in Nova Scotia are employed in jobs with Good or Very Good calls.
  • Another 221 occupations received a Moderate assessment, indicating an average level of labour demand. These occupations account for 38% of total employment in the province.
  • A Limited or Very Limited call was assigned to 28 occupations comprising 3.8% of provincial employment.
  • An Undetermined rating was assigned to 132 occupations, representing 2.4% of employment. Insufficient data, most often due to low employment, is the primarily reason prohibiting an assessment for these occupations.

1 - Business, Finance and Administration

In Nova Scotia, jobs in business, finance, and administration are the third most common type of job, with 84,100 people working in these roles. The total number of projected opportunities for the 2025 to 2027 period is 6,390. 

The number of job opportunities in this category is expected to be about the same as the average for all jobs, at 2.5% per year. A slightly higher share of these opportunities will come from people leaving their jobs, such as through retirement or career changes. This is balanced by slower job growth in this category.

Job growth for many jobs in this category depends on the overall economy. Based on the current economic outlook, most jobs in this sector are expected to have a Moderate outlook.

Below are the in-demand business, finance and administration occupations:

Good:

2 - Engineering, Math, Science, and Information Technology

This category is expected to have the second-highest rate of job opportunities, at 3.2%. Because this category is smaller, it is expected to have the fifth-largest number of total opportunities among the 10 categories, with about 4,575 jobs.

This category is also expected to have the fastest job growth, at 1.5% per year. This is because many of the jobs in this category are linked to the information technology (IT) sector.

About one-third of workers in this category are in computer and information systems jobs, and these jobs are expected to make up about half of all future opportunities. About two-thirds of all expected opportunities are in higher-skill jobs.

Information systems specialists and software developers and programmers are expected to have more job opportunities than other jobs in this category. This is due to strong job growth. Many of these jobs are in the IT sector in Halifax, which is expected to keep growing, but more slowly than in recent years.

Below are the in-demand engineering, math, science, and information technology occupations:

Good:

3 - Health

Just over 3,900 job opportunities are expected in health occupations by 2027. 

This category already has a high number of job openings. Many health jobs are in demand now, even before counting new jobs from growth or people leaving the workforce. Almost all jobs in this category have a Good or Very Good outlook.

Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient services associates (also called CCAs) are expected to have just under 1,000 job openings each year. This is because there are many workers in this job, and many leave due to retirement or job changes. Some younger workers also leave because of job stress, which creates more openings.

A similar number of job opportunities is expected for registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (RNs). Fewer RNs leave because of age, but there are many workers in this job. There are often hundreds of open positions in both roles. This is because the need for health care is growing faster than the number of people available to work in these jobs.

Below are the in-demand health occupations:

Very Good:

Good:

4 - Education, Law, Government, Social and Community Services

Just over 4,900 job opportunities are expected in this category by 2027. Job growth, the number of people leaving jobs, and the total number of opportunities are all expected to be close to the provincial average.

This category includes many different types of jobs and covers all skill levels. Higher-skill jobs make up most of the employment in this category and are expected to make up a similar share of future opportunities. Many of the job openings are expected to be in education and childcare.

Many opportunities are expected for elementary school and kindergarten teachers. This is partly because there are many people already working in these jobs, and partly because these jobs are growing slightly faster than average. This growth is linked to more students enrolling in public schools in recent years.

Below are the in-demand education, law, and social, community, and government services occupations:

Very Good:

Good:

5- Art, Culture, Recreation, and Sport

This was the smallest job category in 2024, with about 14,400 workers. Because this category is small, only about 1,100 job opportunities are expected during the forecast period, even though the overall opportunity rate is close to the provincial average.

This category includes many different types of jobs and covers all skill levels. Many people in these jobs work for themselves. Because of this, job outlook ratings and opportunity numbers may not fully reflect how people enter these jobs. Some people may choose to start their own business in this field, even when there are few job openings.

Below are the in-demand art, culture, recreation, and sports occupations:

Good:

6 - Sales and Service

Sales and service jobs are the largest job category in the province. In 2024, about 135,500 people worked in these jobs. Even though this category has the lowest rate of new opportunities, its large size means it is expected to have the second-highest number of job openings, with about 7,850 opportunities.

Higher prices have reduced how much some businesses earn and how much money people spend on non-essential items. Slower population growth has also affected this category. As a result, job growth is expected to be slower than last year.

Even with a lower-than-average opportunity rate, about 900 job openings are expected for retail salespersons and visual merchandisers during the forecast period. This is because many people work in these jobs. Retail sales supervisors are expected to have slightly higher job growth and more people leaving these jobs.

A high number of workers are also expected to leave light duty cleaner jobs. This is likely to continue worker shortages in this occupation in some parts of the province. 

Below are the in-demand sales and service occupations:

Good:

7 - Trades and Transportation

This category is expected to have the highest rate of job opportunities and the largest number of openings between 2025 and 2027, with about 8,290 opportunities. This strong outlook is due to faster-than-average job growth, at about 1.3% per year.

Many large jobs in this category have faced worker shortages in recent years, especially jobs linked to the construction sector.

Transport truck drivers are expected to continue to have many job openings. This is mainly because many workers in this job are retiring, and this trend is expected to continue during the forecast period.

The number of carpenters is also expected to grow. This is because the construction industry is working to add more workers to help build new homes and address the housing shortage.

Below are the in-demand trades and transportation occupations:

Good:

8 - Farming, Fishing, Forestry, and Mining

This job category is relatively small, with about 15,800 workers in 2024. It is the only category where the number of jobs is expected to decline slightly. Job growth is expected to decrease by about 0.1% per year.

Even with this small decline, job opportunities are still expected. This is because many workers in this category are older and are expected to retire or leave their jobs. As a result, just over 1,100 job openings are expected.

Some industries in this category have faced challenges in recent years. Forestry jobs have been affected by trade rules on lumber exported to the United States and by damage from Hurricane Fiona. Other jobs have also been affected by slower mining activity and by factors that strongly affect fishing jobs.

Below are the in-demand farming, fishing, forestry, and mining occupations:

Very Good:

Good:

9 - Manufacturing and Utilities

This job category is relatively small, with about 19,500 workers in 2024. Even so, a higher-than-average rate of job openings (3.2%) is expected, mostly because many workers will retire or leave their jobs. This will create nearly 1,900 opportunities through 2027.

The category includes many small, specialized jobs. More than half of the opportunities are expected to be in higher-skill roles. Seafood processing and tire manufacturing make up a large share of the jobs in this category.

Below are the in-demand manufacturing and utilities occupations:

Good:

Source: Service Canada Occupational Outlook, 2025-2027

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