Saskatchewan exceeds the national average in licensed nurses per capita

- Media Release, Gov’t SK

August 8,2025

key points from this story:

• Nursing workforce grew 18.3% since 2015
• Province leads Western Canada in nurse supply
• Over 17,500 nurses licensed in 2024
• 2,300 graduates hired by health authority
• Rural and remote staffing significantly improved
• Incentives offered for rural nurse recruitment

Over the last decade, Saskatchewan's supply of nurses has grown by more than 2,700 (an increase of 18.3 per cent since 2015), enhancing care to communities throughout the province. A recent report released by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), Nursing in Canada 2024, shows that the province continues to rank higher than both national and Western Canadian averages in several key supply and workforce measures.

"Not only does this latest data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information show that the province's nursing workforce is growing, it also confirms it is one of the country's largest on a per capita basis for both urban and rural areas," Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said. “We recognize that these are not just numbers, but a team of dedicated healthcare professionals helping patients, and their families. This is why our government has focused our efforts to boost and strengthen our nursing workforce so we can deliver strong results and benefit residents and communities across the province.”

Nearly 17,500 nurses were licensed to work in Saskatchewan in 2024, with 1,411 nurses per 100,000 population — the highest per capita supply among all Western Canadian provinces, and higher than the Canadian average of 1,207. For the same year, Saskatchewan had the highest per 100,000 population of Registered Nurses (1,009) and Nurse Practitioners (23), and the second highest for Licensed Practical Nurses (315) and Registered Psychiatric Nurses (64) in Western Canada.

Saskatchewan continues to make robust investments through the province's HHR Action Plan to further enhance staffing and support nursing teams so they can provide the care people need, and has seen key successes as a result of these efforts: almost 2,300 nursing graduates were hired by the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) between April 2023 and June 2025; nearly 400 Filipino RNs have been recruited and are working in communities across the province; over the past fiscal year (2024-25), the SHA hired more than 1,420 new RNs/RPNs and saw a net gain of more than 900 new nurses.

As part of 315 new and enhanced permanent full-time positions added in high priority health occupations since 2022 to stabilize staffing in rural and northern areas, 250 new full-time permanent nursing positions were filled and another 65 permanent full-time RN positions were added in 30 rural and northern locations, with 60 now filled. The SHA recently announced the addition of 77 new and enhanced permanent full-time positions to benefit 30 rural and remote communities, which will include RNs, LPNs and RPNs, along with other high-demand health professionals.

Over 340 first-year nursing seats have been added in Registered Nursing, Registered Psychiatric Nursing, Licensed Practical Nursing and Nurse Practitioner programs at post-secondary institutions across the province. "Saskatchewan Health Authority is committed to hiring each and every new nursing graduate in Saskatchewan," SHA Chief Human Resources Officer Mike Northcott said. "We actively recruit nursing and other dedicated health professionals through student outreach, meaningful partnerships and by showcasing how a career in health care offers the opportunity to make a meaningful difference. These efforts have led to a 37 per cent decrease in the number of chronically vacant permanent full and part-time nursing positions overall, with a 50 per cent reduction in rural and remote communities," Northcott continued. "Our nursing and health care team members have a direct impact on the health and well-being of our communities and we are grateful for the quality care they provide every day."

The successful recruitment efforts to date have also played a key role in the SHA achieving an approximate 30 per cent reduction in the use of contracted nurses. “All of these improvements demonstrate the success of our HHR Action Plan in strengthening Saskatchewan’s nursing workforce,” Rural and Remote Health Minister Lori Carr said. “We are committed to continue building on recent gains to support our valued nurses, bring more stability to health services, and ensure Saskatchewan residents across the province have timely, reliable access to care, as close to home as possible.”

A Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive of up to $50,000 is available to high priority health care professionals, including nurses (RNs, RPNs, NPs and LPNs), who receive a permanent full-time job offer from the SHA or its affiliates to work in a rural and remote area of the province. A relocation grant of up to $40,000, paid over five years, is available to support NPs who are willing to relocate to rural or northern communities with a population of 10,000 or less. The province offers up to $20,000 in Saskatchewan student loan forgiveness to nursing graduates who choose to work in designated rural and mid-sized communities across the province, and the Graduate Retention Program was recently increased to provide up to $24,000 in tax credits to post-secondary graduates who build their careers and lives in Saskatchewan.