Job prospects Clinical Physical Therapist in Nova Scotia

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "clinical physical therapist" in Nova Scotia or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Nova Scotia

These outlooks were updated on November 29, 2023.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be good for Physiotherapists (NOC 31202) in Nova Scotia for the 2023-2025 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.

Opportunities should continue to arise due to the needs of an aging population and a focus on health, rehabilitation, and wellness in general. While most openings are in Halifax, there is typically less competition for rural positions. New graduates often work part-time positions in various specialties to increase their experience, and benefit from developing “soft skills” through interacting with patients. A large percentage of physiotherapists are employed by private health and wellness clinics, though the province-wide authority provides those within the hospital system a wide variety of specialized opportunities.

Here are some key facts about Physiotherapists in Nova Scotia:

• Approximately 750 people work in this occupation.
• Physiotherapists mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Ambulatory health care services (NAICS 621): 52%
  • Hospitals (NAICS 622): 42%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 86% compared to 82% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 14% compared to 18% for all occupations
• 68% of physiotherapists work all year, while 32% 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 46 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
• 21% of physiotherapists are self-employed compared to an average of 11% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 32% compared to 51% for all occupations
  • Women: 68% 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: less than 5% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 35% compared to 20% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 62% compared to 10% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Nova Scotia by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Labour market conditions over the next 10 years

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "clinical physical therapist" in Nova Scotia or across Canada.

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