Hospital signage is seen in Woodstock, Ont., on May 22, 2025. The Canadian Press/Nicole Osborne
Nursing shortages continue to strain Canada’s health-care system despite a growing number of people working in the field, with vacancies for licensed practical nurses remaining particularly high, new Statistics Canada data show.
Licensed practical nurses had a job vacancy rate of 12.3 percent in 2025, nearly five times the 2.5 percent rate recorded in 2016, according to an Oct. 19 Statistics Canada report first covered by Blacklock’s Reporter.
The shortages persisted even as Canada’s health-care workforce surpassed 1.7 million last year, up nearly 280,000 since 2019. The report also found that health-care employers were struggling to fill nearly 68,000 positions last year, almost three times the number recorded in 2016.
“Despite steady growth in employment in health occupations since 2016, job vacancy rates more than doubled in 2025,” the report said. “This indicates that increases in supply have not kept pace with rising demand. Unmet labour demand remains a significant concern.”
Although vacancies have declined from their 2023 peak, Statistics Canada said demand for health-care workers continues to outpace the supply of available employees.
Statistics Canada said health-care employment grew faster than employment in other sectors between 2019 and 2025, increasing by an average of 3 percent annually compared with 1.8 percent for other occupations.
Health-care workers accounted for 8.2 percent of Canada’s total workforce last year, compared with 5.5 percent in 1998.
Employment in registered nursing occupations—including registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, and nurse practitioners—grew by 25,300 workers between 2024 and 2025, accounting for nearly one-third of the overall increase in health-occupation employment, the report said.
Despite that growth, the job vacancy rate for health occupations stood at 4.5 percent in 2025, more than double the rate recorded in 2016 and higher than the national average of 2.7 percent.
Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) recorded the highest vacancy rate among the selected health occupations, at 12.3 percent in 2025, even after the rate declined from its 2023 peak.
The report noted that employment among LPNs has shown no net growth despite continued demand for their services.
“Although the number of licensed practical nursing vacancies has declined since 2021, the persistently high vacancy rate for this occupation group coincides with the absence of any net growth, indicating a workforce supply that may not be keeping up with labour demand,” the report said.
Shortages also persisted among nursing aides, orderlies and patient service associates, whose vacancy rate of 4.7 percent was more than double the 2016 level, the data showed.
Nearly 47 percent of vacancies in health occupations remained open for more than 90 days in 2025, down from 54 percent in 2023, the report noted. Registered nursing occupations accounted for approximately 10,200 long-duration vacancies, while another 4,300 involved licensed practical nurses.
