Job prospects Special Education Assistant in Ontario

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "special education assistant" in Ontario or Canada.

Job opportunities in Ontario

Note: These outlooks were updated on November 29^th, 2023. Learn more about our methodology.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be good for Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants (NOC 43100) in Ontario for the 2023-2025 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

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

What Types of Employers Are Out There?

• Nearly all employed in elementary and secondary schools.

What are the Main Trends Affecting Employment?

• Demand strongly influenced by population size and student registration
• In the near term, enrolment in elementary schools is projected to stabilize despite recent modest declines, and increase in secondary schools
• Changes to annual funding amounts can affect employment prospects in school boards
• Investments made in support of students with special needs may lead to job openings for teaching assistants with this specialization

What Skills Do I Need to Succeed?

• Employers tend to seek candidates with post-secondary education in areas such as education assistance, special needs or the development of children
• Completion of the Behaviour Management Systems certification may be an asset in securing employment
• Educational Assistant is a voluntary skilled trade in Ontario

What Other Information Will I Find Helpful?

• Several of the positions will be for individuals to work on call
• Work opportunities are usually less abundant in the summer months due to the slowdown in educational activities in this period.

Here are some key facts about Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants in Ontario:

• Approximately 34,350 people work in this occupation.
• Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Elementary and secondary schools (NAICS 6111): more than 95%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 84% compared to 81% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 16% compared to 19% for all occupations
• 17% of elementary and secondary school teacher assistants work all year, while 83% work only part of the year, compared to 63% and 37% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 38 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
• Less than 5% of elementary and secondary school teacher assistants are self-employed compared to an average of 15% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 10% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: 90% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 9% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 13% compared to 25% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 8% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 56% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 19% compared to 24% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 13% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Ontario by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Labour market conditions over the next 10 years

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "special education assistant" Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants (NOC 43100) or Canada.

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