Home » Emigration Guides » Canada » Jobs » Canadian Careers In Engineering And Construction

While the construction industry is a fickle one, with regular cycles of boom and bust, overall it's one of Canada's most dependable job sectors. Even after a tough recession like the one affecting the global economy these days, the building sector always bounces back.

Engineering and construction are interrelated because without the engineering very few projects could get built. While engineers in Canada typically get paid much more than managers in the construction field, there is good money to be made in both arenas.

From basic labourers to project managers, a construction site has dozens of different jobs happening at any one time. Even unskilled labourers can earn more than C$10 an hour, but with a specific skill such as plumbing, electrical or carpentry you can earn upwards of C$50 an hour.

These kinds of specialty trades are in high demand, both on large job sites and as independent contractors. You can get trained at a vocational college in as little as one or two years and find work in virtually every town in Canada. Many skilled tradespeople opt to start their own business, bidding on jobs and potentially making excellent income.

Large construction projects need managers to supervise all the different subcontractors putting together the site. A project manager needs a bachelor's degree or higher in construction management or engineering and usually a few years experience in the field. But the earnings potential can be upwards of C$70,000 for respected and competent project supervisors.

Engineers are also always in high demand in Canada. The country doesn't seem to produce enough qualified engineers each year so it often imports them from other countries. At a minimum, a bachelor's degree in some specific area of engineering is required, but to really have a good chance at a job a master's degree is necessary.

It's a competitive field in Canada, because there are always some large projects in development in the gas and oil industry and other major manufacturing sectors. A structural engineer (or civil engineer) specialises in designing and overseeing major infrastructure projects like roads, large buildings and bridges. This very skilled and important job can earn at least C$66,000 per year to start and jobs can be found anywhere there are large building projects planned.

Mechanical engineers are somewhat less in demand than civil engineers, but they are still vital to a large construction project. These kinds of specialised engineers can often cross over into other fields of employment such as building maintenance. Most of these jobs are found in larger cities and can earn around C$80,000 per year.