Careers in high demand in Canada
Every career here is rated "very high demand" on its own page, from the same government outlook data the rest of the site uses; the sources are listed on each career page. Demand is a national rating and varies by region, so the career page is the place to check where the openings are.
35 careers in Canada
Health
34CardiologistThe heart doctor. Six years of residency after medical school, among the longest paths in medicine, and among the best paid.Typical pay$550kTo qualify12 to 14 yrsDemandVery highRadiologistThe doctor who reads X-rays, scans and ultrasounds and tells other doctors what is wrong. Five years of residency and one of the highest incomes in medicine.Typical pay$550kTo qualify11 to 13 yrsDemandVery highGastroenterologistThe gut doctor. Scopes, liver disease and Crohn's, five years of residency, and one of the best-paid branches of internal medicine.Typical pay$450kTo qualify11 to 13 yrsDemandVery highAnesthesiologistThe doctor who puts you to sleep for surgery and keeps you alive through it. Five years of residency, high pay, no clinic to run.Typical pay$420kTo qualify11 to 13 yrsDemandVery highNephrologistThe kidney doctor. Dialysis, transplants and blood pressure, five years of residency after medical school, and patients you follow for decades.Typical pay$400kTo qualify11 to 13 yrsDemandVery highOncologistThe cancer doctor. Long training, mostly salaried jobs in cancer centres, and patients who will remember you for the rest of their lives.Typical pay$400kTo qualify11 to 13 yrsDemandVery highDermatologistThe skin, hair and nail doctor. Five years of residency, regular hours, and one of the hardest residencies in Canada to get into.Typical pay$380kTo qualify11 to 13 yrsDemandVery highRespirologistThe lung doctor. Asthma, smokers' lungs, sleep apnea and the intensive care unit, five years of residency after medical school.Typical pay$380kTo qualify11 to 13 yrsDemandVery highHematologistThe blood doctor. Leukemia, clots, anemia and transfusions, five years of residency after medical school, often a salaried job in a cancer centre.Typical pay$370kTo qualify11 to 13 yrsDemandVery highPathologistThe doctor who looks at tissue under a microscope and says what the disease is. Every cancer diagnosis passes through one. Five years of residency, regular hours.Typical pay$370kTo qualify11 to 13 yrsDemandVery highEmergency PhysicianThe doctor on shift when anything walks, rolls or is carried through the door. Two ways in, and shifts instead of a clinic.Typical pay$350kTo qualify9 to 13 yrsDemandVery highInternal Medicine DoctorThe hospital doctor for adults with complicated problems, and the gateway to a dozen specialties. Four to five years of residency.Typical pay$350kTo qualify10 to 13 yrsDemandVery highObstetrician-GynecologistDelivers babies and treats everything from fertility to cancer of the reproductive organs. Five years of residency, surgery, and babies at 3 a.m.Typical pay$340kTo qualify11 to 13 yrsDemandVery highRheumatologistThe joint and immune system doctor. Arthritis, lupus and gout, clinic hours, and one of the shortest-staffed specialties in Canada.Typical pay$310kTo qualify11 to 13 yrsDemandVery highEndocrinologistThe hormone doctor. Diabetes, thyroid and bone, mostly clinic hours, five years of residency after medical school.Typical pay$300kTo qualify11 to 13 yrsDemandVery highInfectious Disease DoctorThe germ detective. Antibiotics, outbreaks and the infections nobody else can name, five years of residency after medical school.Typical pay$300kTo qualify11 to 13 yrsDemandVery highPsychiatristA medical doctor who diagnoses and treats mental illness, and can prescribe. Five years of residency, and Canada is badly short of them.Typical pay$300kTo qualify11 to 13 yrsDemandVery highGeriatricianThe doctor for older adults. Memory, falls, frailty and too many pills, five years of residency after medical school, and Canada has only a few hundred of them.Typical pay$290kTo qualify11 to 13 yrsDemandVery highNeurologistThe brain and nerve doctor who does not operate. Strokes, seizures, migraines, multiple sclerosis. Five years of residency and a shortage everywhere.Typical pay$290kTo qualify11 to 13 yrsDemandVery highAllergist and ImmunologistThe doctor for allergies, asthma, hives and immune system problems. About 13 years of training, then office hours and very few emergencies.Typical pay$260kTo qualify12 to 14 yrsDemandVery highPalliative Care DoctorThe doctor for people with serious illness, focused on comfort, pain and time with family. One of the shorter specialist paths, and emotionally the hardest.Typical pay$250kTo qualify9 to 13 yrsDemandVery highPediatricianA doctor for babies, children and teens. Four years of residency after medical school, then a job that never runs short of patients.Typical pay$250kTo qualify10 to 13 yrsDemandVery highFamily DoctorThe longest path on this site, and one of the highest paid. Ten years, then a job for life.Typical pay$240kTo qualify9 to 11 yrsDemandVery highNurse PractitionerA nurse with a master's degree who can diagnose, order tests and prescribe. Two degrees, six figures, huge demand.Typical pay$125kTo qualify8 to 9 yrsDemandVery highVeterinarianDoctor for animals. Eight years of school at one of five colleges, heavy debt, real emotional strain, and strong demand.Typical pay$125kTo qualify6 to 8 yrsDemandVery highPhysician AssistantA medically trained professional who works under a doctor: takes histories, examines, orders tests, prescribes and assists in surgery. A 2-year program after university, and one of the newest regulated jobs in Canada.Typical pay$97kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highPhysiotherapistGet people moving again after injury, surgery and illness. A tough master's to get into, then steady work everywhere.Typical pay$96kTo qualify6 yrsDemandVery highSpeech-Language PathologistHelp people speak, understand and swallow safely. A master's degree, then schools, hospitals or your own clinic.Typical pay$96kTo qualify6 to 7 yrsDemandVery highRegistered NurseCare for patients in hospitals, clinics and homes. In demand everywhere in Canada.Typical pay$90kTo qualify4 yrsDemandVery highRegistered Psychiatric NurseA nurse trained from day one in mental health and addictions. Same pay as a registered nurse, but only licensed in Western Canada.Typical pay$90kTo qualify3 to 4 yrsDemandVery highSonographerUltrasound scanning, from pregnancies to hearts. High demand and good pay, but hard to get into and hard on the body.Typical pay$88kTo qualify3 to 5 yrsDemandVery highMedical Laboratory TechnologistRun the tests behind most diagnoses: blood, tissue, bacteria, DNA. Two to three years of school and a serious shortage of workers.Typical pay$78kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highPractical NurseTwo years of college to a nursing licence and a job in any town in Canada. Hands-on, in demand, cheaper than a degree.Typical pay$64kTo qualify2 yrsDemandVery highPersonal Support WorkerUnder a year of training to a job every province is desperate to fill. Hard, human work, and the pay is modest.Typical pay$46kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandVery high