Nursing Shortage in Canada Five Times More Severe Than a Decade Ago

Despite the Canadian federal government’s ambitious claims of bringing skilled workers and nurses from abroad, along with record-breaking immigration programs, the country is facing one of the most severe nursing shortages in its history. The crisis is now five times more serious than it was a decade ago.

According to a recent report titled Canada’s Health Workforce, released by Statistics Canada, the vacancy rate for licensed practical nurses (LPNs) reached 12% in 2025, compared with just 2.5% in 2016. Although this rate is below the historical peak of 19% recorded in 2023, it remains five times higher than it was ten years ago. The figures indicate that the supply of nurses is severely inadequate compared with the number of patients and the growing demand for healthcare services, while immigration programs have failed to resolve the crisis.

According to the report, Canada admitted a record more than 483,000 permanent residents in 2024, partly to address labour shortages in healthcare and other sectors. However, another report by immigration authorities, titled Immigrant Nurses in Canada, has revealed a troubling picture. It found that only 63% of foreign-trained nurses who arrived in Canada between 2010 and 2020 were working in nursing by 2021. Meanwhile, 25% were either unemployed or forced to take low-skilled, low-paying jobs outside the healthcare sector. Experts say requirements for Canadian work experience, English-language proficiency and stringent credential recognition procedures prevent many internationally trained nurses from entering their original profession.

Another concerning aspect of the crisis is that 84% of immigrant nurses who intend to work in nursing come from Asia, including Pakistan, India and the Philippines. However, Asian nurses face considerably greater difficulties and lower success rates in securing jobs in their profession than nurses from other regions, including Europe, the United States and the Caribbean.

According to the figures, the healthcare sector as a whole, including doctors, nurses and other staff, had 67,900 vacant positions in 2025, accounting for 13% of all job vacancies nationwide.

Experts and analysts have expressed serious concern over the situation and questioned the Canadian government’s policies. They argue that despite bringing in hundreds of thousands of immigrants, Canada has failed to make effective use of their professional skills and address the nursing shortage in hospitals. They say urgent reforms are needed to simplify complex immigration rules and improve the bureaucratic procedures for verifying professional qualifications.