National Outlook – 10-Year Projection (2011-2020)

This section provides labour demand and labour supply projections for this occupation over the 2011-2020 period.

Note: The tables, graphs and middle paragraph shown under this section display updated 2011-2020 projection results. The remaining narrative text (2009-2018 projections) will be updated shortly. We apologize for the inconvenience.

The data in the following table are derived from HRSDC’s Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS). COPS uses a variety of models to produce a detailed 10-year labour market projection per broad skill level and per occupation at the national level, which focuses on the trends of labour supply and labour demand over the next ten years.

This occupation (Post-Secondary Teaching and Research Assistants) is part of a larger occupational group called University Professors and Assistants (NOC 412).

Occupation Projection for Canada

Over the 2008-2010 period, employment in this occupation declined while the unemployment rate increased slightly. The average hourly wage, one of the highest among the 140 occupations, increased at the same rate as the average over this period. According to key labour market indicators, the number of job seekers was sufficient to fill the job openings in this occupation.

Over the 2011-2020 period, an occupation will be in excess demand (a shortage of workers) if the projected number of job openings is significantly greater than the projected number of job seekers. An occupation will be in excess supply (a surplus of workers) if the projected number of job openings is smaller than the projected number of job seekers. For University Professors And Assistants, over the 2011-2020 period, job openings (arising from expansion demand and replacement demand) are expected to total 40,694 and 50,464 job seekers (arising from school leavers, immigration and mobility) are expected to be available to fill the job openings.

Based on these projections and considering that labour supply and demand in this occupation were balanced, it is expected that supply and demand will continue to be balanced over the 2011-2020 period. The majority of job openings will result from retirements. Job growth due to economic expansion should account for approximately 25% of all available jobs in the occupation. The importance of knowledge in the economy and the resulting rise in post-secondary enrolments will contribute to job growth in this occupation. While the number of job openings is expected to be smaller over the 2011-2020 period than over the 2001-2010 period, the number of job seekers is expected to increase slightly. School leavers and immigrants are both expected to contribute to the rising number of job seekers. Although the number of immigrants is lower than the number of school leavers, immigration is an important source of labour supply for university professors and assistants. Moreover, the majority of Ph.D. graduates may eventually become university professors or assistants, which could cause a rapid rise in the number of job seekers if necessary. Consequently, if all school leavers who qualified for this occupation chose this occupation, there would be a surplus of job seekers in the medium term. Yet, despite all this, there may still be shortages in certain fields of study.

This Chart contains data for Projection of Job Openings vs. Job Seekers for Canada. Information is available in the following tables.

In which industry or sector do people in this occupation find jobs in Canada?

This table shows the industry and sectors employing the highest number of people in this occupation.

What proportion of people in this occupation work full-time and part-time?

The graph displays the proportion of people in this occupation who worked full-time and part-time in comparison to the Canadian average across all occupations.

According to the Labour Force Survey (2009), 56% of workers in this occupation worked full-time, compared to the average of 81% for all occupations.

What proportion of men and women work in this occupation?

The graph displays the proportion of men and women in this occupation in comparison to the Canadian average across all occupations.

According to the Labour Force Survey (2009), women represented 45% of workers in this occupation, compared to the average of 48% for all occupations.

What percentage of people in this occupation are members of a union?

This occupation (Post-Secondary Teaching and Research Assistants) is part of a larger group called University Professors and Assistants (NOC 412). According to the Labour Force Survey (2009), the unionization rate for this group was 50%, while the unionization rate for all occupations was 31%.