Job prospects Industrial Welder in Alberta

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as an "industrial welder" in Alberta or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Alberta

These outlooks were updated on December 11, 2024.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be good for Welders and related machine operators (NOC 72106) in Alberta for the 2024-2026 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
• Not many positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are several unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

• Government-led construction projects in transit, and highways and bridges, along with multi-unit housing developments, will create opportunities in construction and drive demand for metal building materials.
• Major private sector construction projects, such as the new Scotia Place event center in Calgary and Linde Canada's hydrogen and atmospheric gases facility in Fort Saskatchewan, will also generate opportunities for this occupation.
• Ongoing activities to repair and upgrade existing buildings and infrastructure will also support employment opportunities.

Here are some key facts about Welders and related machine operators in Alberta:

• Approximately 15,400 people work in this occupation.
• Welders and related machine operators mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Repair and maintenance (NAICS 811): 30%
  • Construction (NAICS 23): 17%
  • Fabricated metal product manufacturing (NAICS 332): 11%
  • Machinery manufacturing (NAICS 333): 7%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 94% compared to 80% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 6% compared to 20% for all occupations
• 49% of welders and related machine operators work all year, while 51% work only part of the year, compared to 61% and 39% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 39 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
• 22% of welders and related machine operators are self-employed compared to an average of 15% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: more than 95% compared to 53% for all occupations
  • Women: less than 5% compared to 47% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: 6% compared to 10% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 10% compared to 28% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 68% compared to 13% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 13% compared to 19% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: less than 5% compared to 21% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 9% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Alberta by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Job prospects elsewhere in Canada

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as an "industrial welder" in Alberta or across Canada.

Learn more