Diagnostic Imaging Jobs in Ontario Are Expanding. Here's What MRTs, Sonographers, and New Grads Need to Know.

Diagnostic Imaging Jobs in Ontario Are Expanding. Here's What MRTs, Sonographers, and New Grads Need to Know.

Jul 3 5 min read

New diagnostic imaging centres are open across Ontario. Machines that were installed over the past year are running, and many of those facilities — along with hospitals that have added new MRI capacity — are actively looking to hire.

For qualified MRTs, sonographers, and NMTs, this is one of the strongest job markets the profession has seen in recent memory. For new graduates entering the field right now, the conditions are particularly favourable: facilities that built out new imaging capacity are still in the process of staffing it, the shortage of experienced techs means entry-level roles are genuinely accessible, and the number of settings to choose from has expanded considerably.

Whether you're looking for your first placement or your next one, understanding what's driving the current market — and how to position yourself in it — can meaningfully affect how your search goes.

How Ontario's DI Sector Got Here — and What It Means Right Now

Over the past year, the Ontario government licensed 57 new community surgical and diagnostic centres, 35 of which deliver MRI and CT services, with the goal of connecting up to 828,000 more patients to diagnostic imaging over a two-year period. An additional 50 MRI machines were installed across 43 hospitals province-wide.

That investment has translated into real capacity — centres that are open, equipment that is running, and patient volumes that are climbing. What it has not translated into, at the same pace, is a proportional increase in the number of qualified people available to deliver that care.

Canada's Job Bank has classified medical radiation technology as carrying a strong risk of labour shortage through 2024–2033 at the national level. Ontario, despite being home to approximately 8,700 practising MRTs and the highest density of imaging professionals in the country, is not immune. Since 2018, vacancy rates for MRT positions have increased significantly across CT, nuclear medicine, and MRI modalities, and that shortage has worsened rather than eased as new capacity has come online.

The pattern is now structural: the province is investing heavily in equipment and infrastructure, but the pipeline of trained professionals has not scaled at the same rate. For anyone qualified to work in diagnostic imaging in Ontario, this is the environment you're entering.

What This Means If You're a New Grad

If you graduated from a medical radiation technology or sonography program this year — or recently — the market you're entering is one where facilities are actively competing to hire you, not the other way around. That's a different conversation than new grads have historically had, and it's worth understanding clearly.

Facilities are hiring at the entry level

New grads sometimes assume the most desirable positions carry experience requirements they haven't yet met. In the current climate, many Ontario facilities actively recruit new graduates specifically because experienced techs are scarce and the junior talent pipeline is undersized relative to demand. The wave of new community diagnostic centres that have opened across the province has amplified this further — those facilities are still building their teams, and entry-level candidates are a natural part of those foundational hires.

A significant share of roles are never posted publicly

If you're exclusively applying through public job boards and hospital career pages, you're seeing a fraction of what's actually available. Many diagnostic imaging positions in Ontario are filled through specialist channels — including recruiter networks — before they're advertised. Working with a recruiter who focuses specifically on diagnostic imaging gives you access to the full picture of what's open, including roles at clinics and centres you may not have considered.

Your modality training shapes which doors open first

Ontario's expansion has created specific demand by modality. MRI is one of the most acute shortage areas in the province, and candidates with post-diploma MRI certification — or eligibility to obtain it — are particularly sought after. CT-trained MRTs are similarly well-positioned given the volume of community centres that have opened across the province over the past year. Sonography demand has remained consistently strong. If you have dual-modality training, lead with it. It's a meaningful differentiator right now.

Get your CMRITO registration in order early

Registration with the College of Medical Radiation and Imaging Technologists of Ontario is a prerequisite for practice in the province. Facilities will not move forward with a hire until registration is confirmed or imminent, so completing your application as soon as possible after graduation puts you in a stronger position to act on opportunities quickly.

What This Means If You're Looking for a New Role

For experienced MRTs and sonographers already working in Ontario, the same expansion creates a different kind of leverage. If you've been in the same position for a few years, or you're weighing a move — to a different modality, a different clinical setting, or a better compensation structure — you have more room to negotiate now than you would have in 2022 or 2023.

The growth of community diagnostic centres has created a genuine alternative to hospital-based work that didn't exist at the same scale before. These settings often offer different scheduling structures, smaller team environments, and — because they're drawing from the same scarce talent pool as hospitals — competitive compensation to attract qualified techs. If you've assumed that moving outside of a hospital setting meant trading down, the current market is worth reassessing.

For those working outside the GTA, the province's expansion has included a deliberate push to improve access in underserved communities and regional centres. Facilities in smaller cities often have more scheduling flexibility, shorter commute demands, and competitive compensation relative to urban counterparts that may be competing for a larger local talent pool.

How to Approach Your Search

A well-run DI job search in Ontario in 2026 comes down to a few fundamentals.

Know the full scope of what's available. The market extends well beyond what's posted on any single platform. Positions get filled through networks, specialist recruiters, and direct facility relationships — often before they're advertised publicly. If you want access to the full picture, you need connections inside the sector.

Have your credentials current and documented. CMRITO registration, CAMRT membership status, and current PLI documentation should be in order before you begin applying. Facilities won't advance candidates whose regulatory standing isn't clear, and being ahead of that requirement removes a common friction point in the hiring process.

Understand your value in the current market. Labour shortages shift negotiating dynamics. If you're a qualified MRT or sonographer in Ontario in 2026, you have more leverage than many job seekers realize — particularly if you hold a sought-after modality designation. Approach your search with that context.

Working With a DI-Specialist Recruiter

Human Integrity HR is Canada's only recruitment firm dedicated exclusively to diagnostic imaging. We place MRTs, sonographers, NMTs, and related professionals across a network of more than 200 Ontario imaging clinics and hospitals — and our service is always free to candidates.

Whether you're a new grad looking for your first role in the field, or an experienced tech evaluating your options, we work within diagnostic imaging specifically. We know which facilities are actively hiring before positions are posted, which roles suit which candidates based on modality and setting, and what the current market looks like for your credential level and experience.

Candidates placed through HiHR are also eligible for a complimentary one-year OAMRS Platinum membership — valued at $239 and including $5M in national professional liability insurance. For new grads, that eligibility starts from day one.

If you're looking for diagnostic imaging work in Ontario, we'd like to hear from you.

Human Integrity HR Ltd. is based in Mississauga, Ontario, and holds Ontario Recruitment License REC-0000005611. We place diagnostic imaging professionals across Ontario. Learn more at humanintegrityhr.com.