Canada has noted that persistent staffing shortages in the healthcare sector following the pandemic have led some organisations, including certain provincial government agencies, to rely more on foreign workers to fill positions in clinics, hospitals, and senior care facilities nationwide.
Federal data from Employment and Social Development Canada shows the government greenlighted the hiring of 4,336 foreign healthcare workers last year—up from 447 such positions in 2018, representing an 870% increase.
Considering the international talent drive for South African workers, immigration experts note hundreds of South Africans are among these foreign professionals recruited in Canada.
Canadian immigration consultant Nicholas Avramis from Beaver Immigration said the number of professionals moving to Canada is partly due to South Africans wanting to leave.
Aramis told BusinessTech that Beaver Immigration had seen a 50% spike in interest from doctors and nurses who want to immigrate to Canada.
The same goes for IT specialists.
As digital dependence grows and new technologies drive change across all industries, the number of tech jobs is increasing.
Companies continue to report skill shortages, leading to shifts in the average salary expectations for top tech jobs.
This has led to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math being among the top in-demand sectors in Canada, which also face skills shortages as a result.
According to Avramis, Beaver Immigration has received approximately 25% of all applications from IT workers in South Africa.
He added that for young, skilled South African IT professionals, it is always about pay and career growth, especially for those between the ages of 25 and 40.
“For the over-40 crowd, which includes skilled professionals and business owners, it is more about the future of their children.
“They want better schools and a safer environment for their children. Moreover, when their children graduate school, they want comfort in knowing that there will be a job at the end of the line,” he said.
The jobs and what they pay
According to Beaver Immigration, Canada’s healthcare shortage is around 50,000 professionals.
Data from Employment and Social Development Canada shows that registered nurses, general practitioners and family physicians, specialist physicians, and medical technicians are among the most in-demand jobs within the healthcare sector for skilled foreigners.
Some specialists include cardiologists and neurologists.
Considering these in-demand professions, BusinessTech looked at the annual salary ranges of these jobs as outlined by recruitment firm Talent.com.
Unsurprisingly, these specialists earn massive salaries, with the average Neurologist earning approximately $325,000 (R4.4 million).
On the lower end of the salary spectrum are medical technicians, taking home an average of $49,056 (R660,000). However, some of these professionals can earn up to $62,638 (R845,000).
Avramis also noted that the global demand for South African healthcare professionals is so great that Beaver Immigration has ramped up its recruitment of doctors and nurses as of June 2024.
In the IT sector, software developers, IT project managers, business system analyst administrators, and cybersecurity experts are in high demand.
Software Developers tend to earn the most on average, $141,017 or R1.9 million, while IT project managers and cybersecurity experts still rake in around R1.5 million.
According to Canada’s official stats office, 14,205 South Africans have successfully received permanent residence in the country since 2015, with the number of locals leaving increasing each year.
475 South Africans have become permanent residents in Canada in 2024 so far.
Below are the top in-demand jobs within the healthcare and IT sectors in Canada—which are also actively filled by South Africans—and their salaries.
It should be noted that the salary range often has a positive correlation with experience.
| Job | Average salary | Salary range |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse | $72,936 (R982,220) |
$59,762 to $83,168 (R804,800 to R1.1 million) |
| General physician (doctor) | $107,463 (R1.45 million) |
$53,692 to $306,444 (R723,000 to R4.1 million) |
| Cardiologist | $294,000 (R3.96 million) |
$261,311 to $444,186 (R3.5 million to R6.0 million) |
| Neurologist | $325,000 (R4.38 million) |
$230,000 to $354,500 (R3.0 million to R4.8 million) |
| Medical technician | $49,056 (R660,600) |
$42,765 to $62,638 (R575,900 to R843,600) |
| Software developer | $141,017 (R1.90 million) |
$82,500 to $158,103 (R1.1 million to R2.1 million) |
| IT project manager | $122,156 (R1.65 milllion) |
$100,000 to $140,000 (R1.4 million to R1.9 million) |
| Business system analyst administrator | $90,000 (R1.21 million) |
$80,650 to $92,950 (R1.09 million to R1.3 million) |
| Cybersecurity expert | $122,156 (R1.65 million) |
$95,000 to $166,363 (R1.28 million to R2.2 million) |
