anada’s healthcare labor market is under sustained pressure. According to government workforce data, an estimated 5.7 million Canadian adults didn’t have a regular primary care provider in 2024, highlighting a persistent shortage of doctors and care providers across the country.
But the issue goes beyond access — healthcare vacancies are rising faster than supply. In 2024, health-related job vacancies made up ~15 % of all unfilled jobs in Canada, more than double the share from 2016, and many positions (especially clinical roles) remain open for 90+ days.
The Staffing Imperative for Canadian Healthcare Employers
This prolonged shortage is straining hospitals, clinics, and long-term care homes — and it’s driving two important trends:
- Longer reliance on temporary staffing to maintain minimum service levels.
- Government action to attract international talent, including Express Entry draws tailored specifically to physicians and healthcare workers. In early 2026, Canada issued invitations to physicians under a new category with one of the lowest cut-off scores in years — signaling an urgency to bring trained clinicians into the system.
Why Temp-to-Perm Makes Sense Now
For HR leaders in healthcare, temporary physicians aren’t just short-term coverage — they’re high-value candidates with real work experience inside your organization. Instead of cycling through agency after agency, treating these assignments as longer evaluations and conversion opportunities helps reduce:
- Recruitment costs
- Time-to-hire for permanent roles
- Service disruptions
The data suggests that, in a market where staff shortages aren’t going away, strategic conversion from temporary to permanent hiring is more than a trend — it’s a stabilizer for your workforce.
