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To learn more about the the construction sector in Canada, visit our Construction Jobs in Canada article for an overview of the market. This article will focus on construction trades jobs in Canada.

With an aging population, steady economic growth, and low numbers of young people choosing to follow a career in the trades, Canada has a long-term need for construction trades workers. Although this demand peaked between 2009 and 2014, coinciding with the industrial boom, Canada will always need certified tradespeople to work across the various construction sectors.

During the 2009-2014 boom (more details here), company sponsorship of foreign tradespersons via a Labour Market Opinion (LMO), now known as a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), was commonplace as employers could not satisfy their hiring needs locally. While the booming industrial sector was driving demand, workers were flocking from all over Canada to work in industrial projects, in doing so  driving demand for more tradespeople in locations across the country. During this period, Canadian firms went on international recruitment drives for tradespeople.

Since 2014, trades roles such as Carpenters, Plumbers, Electricians, Steelworkers, Plant Operators, and others continue to be in high demand across the country. Demand is now focused on larger cities, and demand is more focused on infrastructure projects as opposed to remote industrial projects in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Outpost Recruitment focuses on placing candidates across the following construction trades jobs in Canada:

  • Carpenter (Formwork, Framer, Finishing) for ICI (Institutional, Commercial and Industrial) Buildings
  • Plumbers for ICI (Institutional, Commercial and Industrial) Buildings
  • Electricians for ICI (Institutional, Commercial and Industrial) Buildings

To learn more about gaining a work permit for Canada, visit our Immigation to Canada guide. We also have a dedicated guide to the Federal Skilled Trades Program. The crucial element in preparing to find trades jobs in Canada is having your trade certification from your home country ready and being focusing on gaining local certification (Journeyman status) in Canada as soon as possible. Each province in Canada has its own governing body for trade certifcation so you will need to start the process by deciding on which province you intend to immigrate to.

To gain Journeyman status, you need to sit the IQ or Red Seal examination and have your trade credentials verified by the appropriate governing body for the province you are moving to. The Red Seal Interprovincial Standards Program, also known as Red Seal or simply IP, is a set of trade qualifications in Canada, jointly administered by the federal, provincial and territorial governments. Learn more about Red Seal certification.

International workers with appropriate local certification are more likely to be paid more than workers who do not have this certification, so it is encouraged that you investigate the process of gaining local certification as soon as possible. Many government agencies will subsidize the cost of gaining local accreditation for international tradespeople.

If you are a Canadian employer looking to hire foreign workers or newcomers to Canada, see how Moving2Canada can help. We offer a range of hiring solutions to suit you needs. Reach out here.

Citation "Trade Jobs in Canada." Moving2Canada. . Copy for Citation