Description
Social policy researchers, consultants and program officers conduct research, develop policy and implement or administer programs in areas such as consumer affairs, employment, home economics, immigration, law enforcement, corrections, human rights, housing, labour, family services, foreign aid and international development. They are employed by government departments and agencies, hospitals, educational institutions, consulting establishments, professional associations, research institutes, non-government organizations and international organizations or they may be self-employed.
Job Titles
- Aboriginal employment policy officer
- Child welfare policy analyst
- Immigration and demographic analysis officer
- Immigration policy analyst
- Labour mobility policy consultant
- Labour policy analyst
- Labour policy officer
- Psychology assistant (except university)
- Social assistance advisor
- Social issues researcher
- Social policy analyst
- Social policy researcher
- Social welfare advisor
- Women’s status policy consultant
Main Duties
- Develop social programs and policies, social legislation, or proposals based on demographic, social and economic research, analysis and the evaluation of pilot projects.
Workplaces
- Consulting firms
- Educational institutions
- Government departments and agencies
- Industry
- International organizations
- Non-governmental organizations
- Professional associations
- Research institutes
- Self-employment
Skills
- Critical Thinking
- Decision Making
- Digital Literacy
- Evaluation
- Learning and Teaching Strategies
Abilities
- Categorization Flexibility
- Deductive Reasoning
- Inductive Reasoning
- Information Ordering
- Mathematical Reasoning
Personal Attributes
- Attention to Detail
- Active Learning
- Adaptability
- Analytical Thinking
- Collaboration
Similar Occupations
- Government managers – health and social policy development and program administration (40010)
- Social workers (41300)
- Economists and economic policy researchers and analysts (41401)
- Business development officers and market researchers and analysts (41402)
Source: OaSIS
Employment Outlook
The employment outlook will be moderate for Social policy researchers, consultants and program officers (41403) in Prince Edward Island for the 2022-2024 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
- Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
- A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
- There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
The majority of social policy researchers, consultants and program officers are employed in public administration. They are also employed in smaller numbers in the professional, scientific and technical industry and in healthcare and social assistance.
Here are some key facts about Social policy researchers, consultants and program officers in Prince Edward Island:
- Approximately 600 people work in this occupation.
- Social policy researchers, consultants and program officers mainly work in the following sectors:
- Federal government public administration (NAICS 911): 40%
- Provincial and territorial public administration (NAICS 912): 27%
- Social assistance (NAICS 624): 14%
- Other services (except public administration) (NAICS 81): 9%
- Legal services (NAICS 5411): 8%
- The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
- Full-time workers: 92% compared to 84% for all occupations
- Part-time workers: 8% compared to 16% for all occupations
- 76% of social policy researchers, consultants and program officers work all year, while 24% work only part of the year, compared to 59% and 41% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 46 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
- 6% of social policy researchers, consultants and program officers are self-employed compared to an average of 13% for all occupations.
- The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
- Men: 24% compared to 51% for all occupations
- Women: 76% compared to 49% for all occupations
- The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
- no high school diploma: n/a
- high school diploma or equivalent: 6% compared to 28% for all occupations
- apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: n/a
- college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor’s: 25% compared to 25% for all occupations
- bachelor’s degree: 45% compared to 17% for all occupations
- university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 25% compared to 8% for all occupations
Source: Job Bank
Prevailing Wages
| AREA | LOW | MEDIAN | HIGH |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEI | $26.67 | $38.46 | $58.00 |
| Canada | $24.98 | $40.00 | $57.44 |
Training
There are no known training programs for this occupation in PEI. If you are aware of a local training program, please contact us.