Newfoundland and Labrador is an ideal region for foreigners wishing to settle in Canada. There has been a significant labor shortage in the province, making it the perfect place to start your job search in Canada, but only if you are looking for jobs in the right fields.
With Newfoundland and Labrador’s housing market booming and restaurants, bars and hotels, as well as businesses in the financial and healthcare sectors desperately in need of workers, the province currently has the highest unemployment rate the highest in the country.
According to Statistics Canada, the province affectionately known to Newfoundlanders as The Rock saw the strongest job growth of 4.3% in February 2022.
Let’s take a look at the most in-demand jobs in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2022 so you can narrow down your job search.
Best Job Opportunities in Newfoundland and Labrador
1. General Practitioners (NOC 3112)
General practitioners and primary care physicians in Newfoundland and Labrador earn a median annual salary of $187,675.
Job Bank currently has 21 positions for general practitioners in Newfoundland and Labrador as of May, but there are more than 100 similar positions on Indeed.
Physicians can earn a median hourly wage of $85.04 to $341.60 per hour
2. Nurses (NOC 3012)
Registered nursing and registered psychiatric nursing provide direct patient care, as well as health education programs and counseling services on nursing-related topics.
In May 2022, Indeed announced 183 foster home openings in Newfoundland and Labrador, indicating that demand for caregivers has increased due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Based on a 37.5 hour week, registered nurses can earn a median hourly wage of $30 to $44.87 per hour, while licensed practical nurses earn approximately $24 to $29 per hour.
3. Cooks (NOC 6322)
Restaurant owners in Newfoundland and Labrador desperately need chefs. Luc Erjavec, vice president of restaurants for Atlantic Canada, said earlier this year that the entire restaurant industry is facing a severe labor shortage.
“We live in unprecedented times,” he noted. “I’ve heard of restaurants adjusting their hours and closing early… They have staff on the brink of burnout.”
Job Bank currently has 107 chef jobs in Newfoundland and Labrador (as of May 2022). According to Indeed, there were 317 kitchen jobs available in Newfoundland and Labrador in November.
While not the most lucrative job, there are plenty of hospitality job opportunities throughout the province. Cooks in Newfoundland and Labrador earn an average wage of approximately $13.20 to $22.50 per hour.
4. Material Handlers (NOC 7452)
Although the initial surge in online shopping caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is over, those workers who handle, move, load and unload things by hand or with a variety of industrial trucks are still busy.
You can work for transportation, warehousing and moving companies, as well as manufacturing and processing companies, as well as retail and wholesale warehouses.
According to Indeed, there are currently 490 of these jobs in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Material handlers earn between $13.20 and $22.50 per hour in Newfoundland and Labrador.
5. Carpenter (NOC 7271)
Due to the boom in construction and development projects in the province, carpenters are one of the most in-demand jobs in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2022.
“After years of underperformance, real estate markets have become a bright spot. Startups are expected to grow 7% this year, by far the largest increase in the country,” economists Beata Caranci, Derek Burleton, Rishi Sondhi and Omar Abdelrahman wrote in their TD Economics provincial economic forecast earlier this month. “Newfoundland and Labrador home sales are expected to post the second largest increase this year behind Alberta.”
In fact, he listed 52 carpentry jobs in Newfoundland and Labrador. Job Bank has listed 18 other jobs for carpenters.
Carpenters can expect to earn between $17 and $36 an hour in this Atlantic province.
Check out the Newfoundland and Labrador Job Board for more job postings.
Check out the Job Bank Earnings Report to learn more about the average earning potential for your job in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Best Ways to Move to Newfoundland and Labrador In 2022
The Atlantic Immigration Program
The AIP provides an immigration pathway for foreign workers wishing to settle permanently in Atlantic Canada. Candidates must have a valid job offer in occupations classified as qualifying or type 0, A, B and C in the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
The Atlantic Immigration Program has three different streams to apply:
- Atlantic High-Skilled Program
- Atlantic Intermediate Skills Program
- Atlantic International Graduate Program
Foreign workers must also meet other eligibility criteria for their chosen program in order to apply for permanent residence in the province. Here are the basic requirements for each immigration stream:
Atlantic High-Skilled Program
- To apply for this program, you must have at least one year of experience in a managerial, professional or specialist position;
- You must hold a foreign diploma or a diploma equivalent to a Canadian certificate, which requires you to complete an ECA (Educational Credential Assessment) report;
- You must pass an accredited language proficiency test to prove that you speak enough English or French to live and work in Canada; and
- You must provide proof of funding for the minimum amount required to support yourself and your dependents, whether or not they move to live with you in Canada.
Atlantic Intermediate Skills Program
- To apply for this program, you must have at least one year of experience in a position that requires college education or job-specific training;
- You must have a high school diploma equivalent to a Canadian certificate which requires an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report;
- You must pass an accredited language proficiency test to prove that you speak enough English or French to live and work in Canada; and
- You must have proof of funding for the minimum amount necessary to support yourself and your dependents, whether or not they move to live with you in Canada.
Atlantic International Graduate Program
- This program is for people who have obtained a qualification from a publicly funded institution in one of Canada’s Atlantic provinces;
- You must have lived in the province for at least 16 months in the two years prior to qualifying;
- Regardless of the language in which you have completed your studies, you must pass a language test; and
- You must be able to show that you will be able to support yourself and any dependents staying with you.
In addition to the Atlantic Immigration Program, there are many other ways to move to Newfoundland and Labrador, including the very popular Express Entry system or the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (Newfoundland and Labrador).
Canada also offers several work permit options:
Open Work Permit – This work permit allows you to work anywhere in Canada and start looking for work once you arrive in Canada.
Employer-Specific Work Permit – This work permit requires you to accept a job before you arrive in Canada and allows you to work for that employer only for the length of time specified in your job advertisement.
