Job prospects Medical Laboratory Technologist in Ontario

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "medical laboratory technologist" in Ontario or Canada.

Job opportunities in Ontario

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be very good for Medical laboratory technologists (NOC 3211) in Ontario 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.

What Types of Employers Are Out There?

• Hospitals
• Medical and diagnostic laboratories

What are the Main Trends Affecting Employment?

• Increased demand for testing as a result of the health care needs of a growing, aging population
• Emergence of new areas of diagnostics such as genetic (DNA) and molecular oncology testing
• Demand for laboratory testing is moderated by the wide accessibility of self-monitoring medical devices
• The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly raised the demand for medical laboratory testing

What Skills Do I Need to Succeed?

• Medical laboratory technologists are regulated by the College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario (CMLTO), and must be registered with the College prior to working in Ontario
• Some employers also require that candidates be certified by the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS)

What Other Information Will I Find Helpful?

• Laboratory technologists may be required to work rotating shifts

• In general, Bridging Programs are available to assist internationally trained professionals in various fields enter the labour market more quickly in the province

Here are some key facts about Medical laboratory technologists in Ontario:

• Approximately 7,800 people work in this occupation.
• Medical laboratory technologists mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Hospitals (NAICS 622): 66%
  • Ambulatory health care services (NAICS 621): 26%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 85% compared to 79% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 15% compared to 21% for all occupations
• 75% of medical laboratory technologists work all year, while 25% 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 36 weeks compared to 31 weeks for all occupations.
• less than 5% of medical laboratory technologists are self-employed compared to an average of 12% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 24% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: 76% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 10% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: less than 5% compared to 27% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 6% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 50% compared to 26% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 37% compared to 21% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 9% compared to 10% 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 "medical laboratory technologist" in Ontario or Canada.

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