Employment Outlook

The employment outlook will be limited for Letter carriers (74101) in Prince Edward Island for the 2022-2024 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment is expected to remain relatively stable.
• 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.

Canada Post Corporation employs the majority of workers in this occupation. The increasing use of digital communications has had a dramatic effect on postal services. The number of letters being sent by traditional mail is decreasing. Mailings of bills and bank statements, which used to represent a core component of mail volume, have fallen substantially as nearly three-quarters of Canadians have switched to e-billing and e-banking services.

 Further, the increasing use of community mailboxes have resulted in efficiencies in mail delivery which has limited demand for letter carriers. Growth in parcel delivery, fueled by the increasing popularity of online shopping, has mitigated the decline in mail volume.

Here are some key facts about Letter carriers in Prince Edward Island:

• Approximately 150 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
• Letter carriers mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Postal service, couriers and messengers (NAICS 491, 492): more than 95%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 76% compared to 84% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 24% compared to 16% for all occupations
• 72% of letter carriers work all year, while 28% 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 47 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 57% compared to 51% for all occupations
  • Women: 42% 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: 47% compared to 28% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 9% compared to 11% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor’s: 26% compared to 25% for all occupations
  • bachelor’s degree: 6% compared to 17% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: n/a

Source: Job Bank

Prevailing Wages