Job prospects Operating Systems Programmer in Nova Scotia

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as an "operating systems programmer" in Nova Scotia or Canada.

Job opportunities in Nova Scotia

Note: These outlooks are based on the 2016 version of the National Occupational Classification (NOC). Learn more about our methodology.

Prospects over the next 3 years

Very good

The employment outlook will be very good for Computer programmers and interactive media developers (NOC 2174) in Nova Scotia 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 small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

This is a large occupation group, where much of the work is found in Halifax as it offers a wide variety of potential employers across industries, including video game development. Job opportunities occur regularly, and those with the high level of specific skills will have an easier time in finding employment. Some lower-level programming tasks may be at risk of disappearing or being outsourced. It will remain essential therefore, that workers keep skills up-to-date. Graduates of advanced co-op programs will have the most success in breaking into the workforce. Remote hiring is common in the information technology field, so jobseekers may benefit from including remote opportunities in their job search.

Here are some key facts about Computer programmers and interactive media developers in Nova Scotia:

  • Approximately 3,250 people work in this occupation.
  • Computer programmers and interactive media developers mainly work in the following sectors:
    • Computer systems design services (NAICS 5415): 52%
    • Information and cultural industries (NAICS 51): 14%
  • The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
    • Full-time workers: 94% compared to 80% for all occupations
    • Part-time workers: 6% compared to 20% for all occupations
  • 73% of computer programmers and interactive media developers work all year, while 27% work only part of the year, compared to 62% and 38% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 30 weeks compared to 30 weeks for all occupations.
  • 8% of computer programmers and interactive media developers are self-employed compared to an average of 9% for all occupations.
  • The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
    • Men: 81% compared to 51% for all occupations
    • Women: 19% compared to 49% for all occupations
  • The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
    • no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 12% for all occupations
    • high school diploma or equivalent: 10% compared to 26% for all occupations
    • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 10% for all occupations
    • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 28% compared to 27% for all occupations
    • bachelor's degree: 46% compared to 17% for all occupations
    • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 14% compared to 8% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Nova Scotia by economic region.

Legend

0 out of 5 stars
Undetermined
1 out of 5 stars
Very limited
2 out of 5 stars
Limited
3 out of 5 stars
Moderate
4 out of 5 stars
Good
5 out of 5 stars
Very good
Location Job prospects
Annapolis Valley Region Very good
Cape Breton Region Very good
Halifax Region Very good
North Shore Region Very good
Southern Region Very good

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Labour market conditions over the next 10 years

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as an "operating systems programmer" in Nova Scotia or Canada.

Learn more

Labour Market Information Survey
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