Employment Outlook

The employment outlook will be good for Light duty cleaners (65310) in Prince Edward Island for the 2022-2024 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to several new positions.
• A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

The prospect for employment in this occupation is favorable as there continues to be a shortage of workers and unfilled vacancies in the province. This occupation falls under the provincial Occupations in Demand immigration stream, which is a program designed to help employers fill vacant positions that they are unable to fill locally. 

Enhanced sanitization and hygiene measures across industries due to the pandemic has resulted in increased demand for light duty cleaners in the province. Total employment in this industry is expected to continue to rise due to growth in the population and in the number of residential and commercial buildings in the province. The health care and social assistance industry including hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities is another key employer. Expansions occurring at some of these facilities will also generate additional job openings for these workers.

Light duty cleaners who have a valid driver’s licence and access to a vehicle may have better job prospects as workers may need to visit several sites in one day. Part-time work is common in this occupation, and candidates may be required work various shifts including nights, evenings and weekends. In some parts of P.E.I. job opportunities may be seasonal, with more openings in the summer months. This is particularly true in the accommodation and food services industry as some resorts and hotels only operate in the summer months.

Enhanced hygiene measures in health-care establishments, the expansion and growth of accommodation services, and an aging of the population, should result in an increase in the demand for maintenance and home cleaning services. This is a large occupational group in PEI with a large employer base. As with most large occupations, there will be frequent job openings due to turnover and workers changing jobs. This occupation is also an excellent source of summer and part-time employment for students.

Here are some key facts about Light duty cleaners in Prince Edward Island:

• Approximately 1,100 people work in this occupation.
• Light duty cleaners mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Hospitals (NAICS 622): 24%
  • Management and administrative services (NAICS 55, 56): 21%
  • Accommodation services (NAICS 721): 9%
  • Nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623): 7%
  • Social assistance (NAICS 624): 7%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 66% compared to 84% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 34% compared to 16% for all occupations
• 49% of light duty cleaners work all year, while 51% 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 38 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
• 17% of light duty cleaners are self-employed compared to an average of 13% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 26% compared to 51% for all occupations
  • Women: 74% compared to 49% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: 25% compared to 11% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 45% compared to 28% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 8% compared to 11% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor’s: 15% compared to 25% for all occupations
  • bachelor’s degree: 7% compared to 17% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 8% for all occupations

Source: Job Bank

Prevailing Wages