Fresh Canadian grad salary/job market by region info?

[Graphite]

There are probably a ton of these threads, but I haven't turned up much in searching here and elsewhere.

The best piece of salary information I've come across is this: "Which is the best province for associate veterinarians?" Can Vet J. 2007 September; 48(9): 971–973.

Yet, I really can't find squat about the actual job market in Canada. I've read that the goings are rough in the US, but I don't know if the same could be said here. Short of stalking fresh OVC grads and drilling them with rather personal questions, are there any other resources available out there? A publication I'm missing, surveys, etc?

I'm specifically looking for Toronto-Hamilton, ON information. If anyone has the low-down, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

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[SocialStigma]

We (OVC 2015s) have had a couple of business lectures about the current state of the industry in Canada/Ontario. Here are some tidbits:

- 2011 entry level salary (surveyed grads from all 5 vet schools) = $68,200 (+10%) based on a 40-45 h work week; high of $92k
- part time vets (<28 h/week) have no benefits, paid $300-375/day (8-10 h)
- ER vets make $35-45/h
- urban locum vets make $45+/h (more in summer), rural locum vets make $35-45/h
- approximately 1.1 full time positions per graduate
- base salaries of associates are increasing after 1st year (though not as much as before)

They're actually telling us that this is the best time to be entering vet med because fees are increasing (OVMA is now recommending $80 as the standard exam fee), spending on pets continues to rise (mostly on ancillary services like food, toys etc), and associate salaries are increasing above the inflation rate.

If there are any upper years here, they could probably tell you more since we get more of these types of lectures in 3rd year.

 

[Graphite]

Preciously the kind of information I was looking for. Thanks so much!

So it doesn't seem completely boneheaded to follow the dream of vet med. 😀 That is a huge relief. I was getting quite concerned by the lack of Canada stats out there.

Thanks again!

 

[SocialStigma]

No problem!

 

[New Foundland]

I feel as if vet students are commonly fed sugar-coated or cherry-picked financial info via their school..

Guess it makes sense, the depression rate is already high enough..

 

[Graphite]

Do you feel the information provided by SocialStigma is inaccurate?

 

[Braki]

I feel as if vet students are commonly fed sugar-coated or cherry-picked financial info via their school..

Guess it makes sense, the depression rate is already high enough..

I've listened to a couple lectures from the vet who did those statistics at OVC, and he definitely does not sugar-coat. He is frank about the fact that the number of jobs per graduate has decreased in the past couple years (from 2-3 postings per grad down to 1.1), and that the specialty field is currently suffering, etc., etc. The first time I listened to him it sounded kinda bleak, actually. However, he does say that Canada's job market is better than the US and relatively speaking, job opportunities for vets here are not terribly shabby.

 

[CalliopeDVM]

Here's some information I have from surveys done of Ontario vets in 2011:

New grads average entry salary $67,000 (small animal), $66,000 (mixed).
Average Toronto full time salary $75,000; average Hamilton full time salary $78,000
Hourly wages of full time vets in Ontario (median value) $44.12/hr; same for part time vets $55.56/hour
Average locum rate in the province is about $60/hour, with no locum who responded to the survey earning less than $50/hour. Average Toronto locum rate was about $63.50; average Hamilton locum rate was about $58.00

I don't know why the numbers differ so much from what SocialStigma was told - it could be the source or the date of the information, or the collection method (the survey info above is from self-reported voluntary responses to an OVMA survey).

From my experience, I'd say the current market for associates in Ontario is fair - far better than many places in the US, from what I hear, but still suffering compared to 5-7 years ago. I don't know anything about employability figures for new grads.

 

[Trematode]

I feel as if vet students are commonly fed sugar-coated or cherry-picked financial info via their school..

Guess it makes sense, the depression rate is already high enough..

Well, it is better to know something. All I hear from the US is doom and gloom. I have not heard anything about the status of vet jobs in Canada. All I know is that the average salary for vets in Nova Scotia is $33/hour. The only reason I know that is because my indecisive brother brought home a giant career information book. If I ever become a SA vet, I have no idea how easy/difficult it would be in my home province or the rest of the country... that unfortunately is a big deal to some people.

 

[New Foundland]

Do you feel the information provided by SocialStigma is inaccurate?

Not inaccurate, just incomplete. No way to tell whether the included students and the excluded students are equal, and so you can't generalize safely.

 

[Graphite]

Thanks everyone. It's not as glum as I feared.