Reports · Industrial Electrician (Red Seal)
TRADE REPORT · LAST VERIFIED 2026-07-10
Industrial Electrician (442A) Wages & Outlook in Canada — Trade Report
Also known as: 442A, plant electrician.
Here's the industrial electrician (red seal) trade in Canada without the filler: real pay data, real demand signals, the actual certification steps, and how the exam is built — every number sourced.
The trade in 30 seconds
This trade employed about 35,600 people across Canada as of 2023 (NOC 72201 (group includes apprentices + marine/mill/plant/shipyard electricians; stats are not certified-IE-journeypersons-only)) [2]. Trade certification is compulsory in Quebec, Manitoba, British Columbia; voluntary in Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Ontario, Yukon, Northwest Territories; not offered in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Nunavut. SOURCE CONFLICT documented 2026-07-10: Ellis marks Ontario 'C', but Skilled Trades Ontario (the regulator) explicitly lists 442A as non-compulsory — the regulator's word is carried. An ESDC NOC-profile snippet names a different compulsory set (PE/QC/MB) — snippet-only, rejected. BC's 'C' is consistent with SkilledTradesBC's mandatory-certification regime. A per-province authority re-check is the honest next step before any report states a definitive compulsory list for this trade.. [4]
Practice Industrial Electrician (Red Seal) free →
What you'll earn
Federal wage data (Job Bank, reference period 2023-2024) puts the country-wide median at $42.00/hour, with a spread from $28.00 to $54.00 [1]. The published spread runs from $34.93/hour in Prince Edward Island to $49.00/hour in Saskatchewan.
Median hourly wage by province/territory, highest to lowest
Some smaller jurisdictions don't publish separate wage data for this occupation.
View exact numbers
| Province / territory | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Saskatchewan | $49.00 | $38.00–$57.78 |
| British Columbia | $45.00 | $35.90–$54.95 |
| Alberta | $44.00 | $25.00–$68.00 |
| Newfoundland & Labrador | $43.26 | $26.00–$58.10 |
| Quebec | $43.00 | $24.80–$48.00 |
| New Brunswick | $42.00 | $28.75–$59.62 |
| Manitoba | $40.50 | $27.00–$48.00 |
| Ontario | $40.50 | $29.00–$48.00 |
| Nova Scotia | $40.00 | $30.00–$50.00 |
| Prince Edward Island | $34.93 | $29.00–$42.50 |
| Northwest Territories | — | no data published |
| Nunavut | — | no data published |
| Yukon | — | no data published |
Source: Job Bank wage report, NOC 72201, updated 2026-06-02 [1]. The same page shows 96.6% of the national workforce here also gets a non-wage benefit.
A real perk of holding the Red Seal: it isn't tied to one province, so the spread above is worth a look before any relocation.
Where the jobs are
Ottawa's shortage-risk call for this occupation: moderate risk of labour shortage, 2024-2033, as reported consistently across Ottawa's Job Bank and COPS labour-market outlooks [3] The workforce is 37% aged 50 or older, with a median retirement age of 64 [2]. Most work is in spread across many industries — transportation (air/rail/water/pipeline) ~8%, mining ~8%, primary metals ~8% (partial extraction; full table needs a re-check before publishing an exact list) [3].
Why openings exist
expansion ~21% (below the ~32% all-occupation average); replacement ~79% — this is a retirement-replacement trade.
Job Bank 3-year employment outlook by province
View as a table
| Rating | Provinces |
|---|---|
| Good | Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan |
| Moderate | New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia |
| Limited | Quebec |
| Undetermined | Prince Edward Island, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut |
Source: Job Bank outlook report, NOC 72201, updated 2026-06-02 [2].
The path to Red Seal
Total apprenticeship hours, by jurisdiction
Sorted shortest to longest. A few trade-qualifier-only or differently-measured jurisdictions aren't safely comparable as an hours figure and are omitted here -- see the full breakdown below.
View exact numbers
- 7,200 total hours in NL/PE/NS/NB/MB/BC/YT/NT (e.g. NL/PE/NB 6,030 on-job + 1,170 in-school, 4 levels)
- Ontario 9,000 (8,160 on-job + 840 in-school, ~5 years, per Skilled Trades Ontario — preferred over Ellis's 7,950/1,050 split)
- Quebec 9,800 (8,000 + 1,800)
- SK and AB do not offer a standalone industrial-electrician program (Alberta's single 'Electrician' apprenticeship feeds both electrician Red Seals)
- Nunavut not applicable
Source: interjurisdictional apprenticeship comparison [4].
Been doing the work for years without a certificate?
Challenge / trade-qualifier hours, by jurisdiction
- 10,800 NL/PE/NS/NB/MB/YT
- 9,000 ON/BC/NT
- no challenge route in QC
- n/a SK/AB/NU
Source: interjurisdictional apprenticeship comparison [4].
Money on the table: the federal Team Canada Strong package includes: $6B plan to recruit 80,000-100,000 new Red Seal trades workers over five years; $400/week Apprenticeship Training Grant during in-class technical training, worth up to $16,000 per apprentice, in addition to EI; one-time $5,000 Red Seal completion bonus. amounts are 'up to' figures; first payments expected no earlier than fall 2026; core funding starts 2026-27 [11]
- Alberta's single 'Electrician' apprenticeship (compulsory) lets graduates take the Red Seal exam for Construction Electrician and/or Industrial Electrician, and Alberta apprentices/journeypersons can now receive BOTH journeyperson certificates [9]
- Ontario 442A is non-compulsory; the C of Q does not have to be renewed and holders do not appear on the STO Public Register [8]
- Construction Electrician is a separate NOC (72200) and a separate Red Seal ticket
The exam — and what to study most
This trade is tested with 100 questions, pass mark 70% [10], writing time four hours [5]. Some blocks are worth far more than others on this exam — the official split, unfiltered:
Official exam weightings, highest to lowest
Sorted highest to lowest — Generating, distribution and service systems (top) carries the most marks on its own (23%).
View exact numbers
| Block | Share of exam | ≈ Questions |
|---|---|---|
| B — Generating, distribution and service systems | 23% | ~23 |
| D — Rotating and non-rotating equipment and control systems | 21% | ~21 |
| C — Wiring systems | 20% | ~20 |
| F — Process control systems | 17% | ~17 |
| E — Signalling and communication systems | 10% | ~10 |
| A — Common occupational skills | 9% | ~9 |
Source: Red Seal exam information [5].
What this means for studying: Generating, distribution and service systems is worth 23% of the whole exam. A per-block diagnostic is the cheapest way to find your real weak spots. Try a free diagnostic on Industrial Electrician (Red Seal) →
Practice against the same standard
This industrial electrician (red seal) bank tracks the real exam's own block structure, so your practice results actually predict exam-day performance. Free to start. The full bank runs 600 questions.
Practice Industrial Electrician (Red Seal) free →
The best links
- red-seal.ca — Official Red Seal Industrial Electrician page: the standard, exam info, sample questions.
- red-seal.ca — The exam's actual structure from the source: 100 questions across 6 blocks.
- ellischart.ca — Ellis Chart (ESDC): hours, levels, and challenge pathways across jurisdictions.
- www.jobbank.gc.ca — Government of Canada wage data by province (2023-2024 LFS).
- www.jobbank.gc.ca — Job Bank: 3-year prospects by province + the 10-year national outlook.
- occupations.esdc.gc.ca — ESDC's 2024-2033 projection behind the shortage assessment.
- www.skilledtradesontario.ca — Ontario's authority page for 442A: non-compulsory status, exact hours, C of Q.
- tradesecrets.alberta.ca — Alberta's Electrician profile: the dual Construction/Industrial Red Seal path.
Sources
- Job Bank — Wages: Industrial Electrician (NOC 72201). Data period 2023-2024; updated 2026-06-02. Accessed 2026-07-10.
- Job Bank — Outlook (NOC 72201). updated 2026-06-02. Accessed 2026-07-10.
- ESDC — Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) 2024-2033. Accessed 2026-07-10.
- Ellis Chart (ESDC) — interjurisdictional apprenticeship comparison. Accessed 2026-07-10.
- Red Seal — exam information. Accessed 2026-07-10.
- Red Seal — exam weightings. Accessed 2026-07-10.
- Official Red Seal Industrial Electrician page: the standard, exam info, sample questions. Accessed 2026-07-10.
- Ontario's authority page for 442A: non-compulsory status, exact hours, C of Q. Accessed 2026-07-10.
- Alberta's Electrician profile: the dual Construction/Industrial Red Seal path. Accessed 2026-07-10.
- Red Seal — Exam Preparation Guide (70% pass mark, four-hour writing time). Accessed 2026-07-10.
- Prime Minister's Office — Team Canada Strong announcement. updated 2026-04-29. Accessed 2026-07-10.
Nothing here is career or financial advice — it's a sourced snapshot. Government wage and outlook figures shift over time; the linked pages above always carry the latest numbers.