REPORTS
The Red Seal trades, compared
What each trade pays, where Canada actually projects a shortage, and why those openings exist — every figure from Job Bank and COPS, dated and sourced. Tap any trade for its full report: wages by province, the apprenticeship path, and the real exam weightings.
What the trades pay
Canada-wide median, Job Bank. A median is the middle of the published range, not a starting wage — each report breaks its trade down by province.
Where the shortage actually is
Every one of these trades is officially projected short of workers, which makes "shortage" a useless way to tell them apart. The number that does vary is the size of the gap — how many openings COPS projects against how many people it expects to be looking.
Projected openings minus projected job-seekers, 2024–2033 (COPS). To the right of the line, more work than people; to the left, more competition for it. These are national ten-year projections, not today's job board. COPS publishes no projection for Welder.
Why the openings exist
Weighted by each trade's own projected openings, across the 24 trades where COPS publishes the split. Most openings in the skilled trades are not new jobs — they are the retirement wave.
Every trade
| Trade | Median wage | Openings − seekers |
|---|---|---|
| Instrumentation & Control Technician | $46.00/hr | even |
| Powerline Technician | $46.00/hr | even |
| Steamfitter / Pipefitter | $43.89/hr | −800 |
| Industrial Electrician | $42.00/hr | −600 |
| Bricklayer | $40.00/hr | +200 |
| Gasfitter - Class A | $40.00/hr | even |
| Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic | $37.50/hr | even |
| Agricultural Equipment Technician | $37.12/hr | +400 |
| Heavy Duty Equipment Technician | $37.12/hr | +400 |
| Millwright | $37.00/hr | even |
| Construction Electrician | $35.00/hr | +500 |
| Concrete Finisher | $34.00/hr | even |
| Plumber | $34.00/hr | −1.2k |
| Drywall Finisher & Plasterer shared NOC | $33.00/hr | +500 |
| Lather / Interior Systems Mechanic shared NOC | $33.00/hr | +500 |
| Carpenter | $32.12/hr | +5.9k |
| Machinist | $30.00/hr | +500 |
| Welder | $30.00/hr | not published |
| Automotive Service Technician | $29.89/hr | +1k |
| Painter & Decorator | $28.00/hr | +500 |
| Auto Body and Collision Technician | $27.00/hr | −1.1k |
| Automotive Refinishing Technician | $27.00/hr | −1.1k |
| Floorcovering Installer | $26.00/hr | −100 |
| Cabinetmaker | $24.00/hr | even |
| Hairstylist | $19.88/hr | −100 |
| Cook | $18.00/hr | +900 |
| Baker | $17.50/hr | +500 |
Drywall Finisher & Plasterer (Red Seal) and Lather / Interior Systems Mechanic (Red Seal) are separate Red Seal trades inside one statistical group (NOC 73102), so Job Bank and COPS publish one combined set of figures covering both. Their rows above are identical by definition, not by duplication.
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