Graduates · Ontario · 2021 Census
What can you do with a construction trades trades certificate?
What graduates actually work as, from Statistics Canada, beside what Job Bank says about each job: openings, pay, and what it takes.
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What can you do with a construction trades trades certificate in Ontario?
In the 2021 Census, the most common jobs among employed Ontarians aged 25 to 34 with an apprenticeship or trades certificate in construction trades were electricians (except industrial and power system) (20.2%), carpenters (13.5%) and plumbers (11.6%). This is one of the more direct fields: the single biggest job, electricians (except industrial and power system), covers 20.2% of these graduates, and the 12 most common jobs together cover 70%.
What graduates really do
What jobs do construction trades graduates in Ontario actually have?
Ontario is published for the construction trades group, so the lead table is Ontario people aged 25 to 34 whose highest credential is an apprenticeship or trades certificate. The Canada tables below split out electricians, plumbers and carpenters.
| Job | Share of graduates | People | Job Bank outlook | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricians (except industrial and power system)Our guide | 20.2% | 4,145 | Moderate | $34.00/hr |
| CarpentersOur guide | 13.5% | 2,765 | Moderate | $32.00/hr |
| PlumbersOur guide | 11.6% | 2,385 | Moderate | $32.50/hr |
| Construction trades helpers and labourers | 5.7% | 1,170 | Moderate | $27.00/hr |
| Plasterers, drywall installers and finishers and lathers | 3.1% | 640 | Moderate | $35.48/hr |
| Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations | 3% | 625 | Moderate | $45.05/hr |
| Electrical power line and cable workers | 3% | 610 | Good | $45.00/hr |
| Industrial electriciansOur guide | 2.7% | 560 | Moderate | $40.50/hr |
| Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installersOur guide | 2.6% | 540 | Moderate | $45.96/hr |
| Bricklayers | 2% | 415 | Good | $38.00/hr |
| Contractors and supervisors, pipefitting trades | 1.4% | 290 | Moderate | $53.43/hr |
| Construction managersOur guide | 1.2% | 255 | Moderate | $50.61/hr |
How does it look for other groups?
These are different groups of people, shown separately on purpose: a different place, age group or level of education. Do not read them as one comparison.
| Job | Share of graduates | People | Job Bank outlook | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricians (except industrial and power system)Our guide | 17.2% | 2,310 | Moderate | $34.00/hr |
| CarpentersOur guide | 10.6% | 1,425 | Moderate | $32.00/hr |
| PlumbersOur guide | 7.9% | 1,060 | Moderate | $32.50/hr |
| Construction trades helpers and labourers | 5.9% | 785 | Moderate | $27.00/hr |
| Electrical power line and cable workers | 4.3% | 575 | Good | $45.00/hr |
| Industrial electriciansOur guide | 3% | 405 | Moderate | $40.50/hr |
| Home building and renovation managers | 2.4% | 315 | Good | $43,200/yr |
| Construction managersOur guide | 2.2% | 290 | Moderate | $50.61/hr |
| General building maintenance workers and building superintendents | 1.8% | 235 | Moderate | $24.00/hr |
| Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installersOur guide | 1.5% | 195 | Moderate | $45.96/hr |
| Bricklayers | 1.5% | 195 | Good | $38.00/hr |
| Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations | 1.4% | 185 | Moderate | $45.05/hr |
| Job | Share of graduates | People | Job Bank outlook | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricians (except industrial and power system)Our guide | 40.1% | 47,365 | Moderate | $34.00/hr |
| Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations | 8.5% | 10,080 | Moderate | $45.05/hr |
| Industrial electriciansOur guide | 8.5% | 10,015 | Moderate | $40.50/hr |
| Electrical power line and cable workers | 5.5% | 6,545 | Good | $45.00/hr |
| Power system electricians | 2.1% | 2,460 | Good | $50.85/hr |
| General building maintenance workers and building superintendents | 1.2% | 1,475 | Moderate | $24.00/hr |
| Transport truck driversOur guide | 1.2% | 1,365 | Moderate | $26.00/hr |
| Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians | 1.1% | 1,240 | Moderate | $34.09/hr |
| Seniors managers - public and private sector | 1% | 1,225 | No Job Bank outlook | — |
| Construction managersOur guide | 1% | 1,190 | Moderate | $50.61/hr |
| Construction trades helpers and labourers | 1% | 1,185 | Moderate | $27.00/hr |
| Facility operation and maintenance managers | 1% | 1,165 | Moderate | $45.19/hr |
| Job | Share of graduates | People | Job Bank outlook | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PlumbersOur guide | 37.5% | 26,400 | Moderate | $32.50/hr |
| Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installersOur guide | 15.9% | 11,175 | Moderate | $45.96/hr |
| Contractors and supervisors, pipefitting trades | 6.3% | 4,460 | Moderate | $53.43/hr |
| Gas fitters | 2.1% | 1,465 | Moderate | $36.06/hr |
| Construction trades helpers and labourers | 1.8% | 1,260 | Moderate | $27.00/hr |
| Construction managersOur guide | 1.5% | 1,065 | Moderate | $50.61/hr |
| Transport truck driversOur guide | 1.4% | 955 | Moderate | $26.00/hr |
| General building maintenance workers and building superintendents | 1.3% | 915 | Moderate | $24.00/hr |
| Construction estimators | 1.1% | 770 | Moderate | $38.46/hr |
| Seniors managers - public and private sector | 1% | 685 | No Job Bank outlook | — |
| Retail and wholesale trade managers | 0.9% | 635 | Moderate | $43.27/hr |
| Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanicsOur guide | 0.9% | 615 | Good | $37.00/hr |
| Job | Share of graduates | People | Job Bank outlook | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CarpentersOur guide | 49.3% | 43,955 | Moderate | $32.00/hr |
| Construction managersOur guide | 5.9% | 5,245 | Moderate | $50.61/hr |
| Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades | 4.2% | 3,780 | Moderate | $38.46/hr |
| Construction trades helpers and labourers | 4.2% | 3,725 | Moderate | $27.00/hr |
| Home building and renovation managers | 2.6% | 2,295 | Good | $43,200/yr |
| General building maintenance workers and building superintendents | 1.7% | 1,560 | Moderate | $24.00/hr |
| Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews | 1.6% | 1,395 | Moderate | $40.00/hr |
| Transport truck driversOur guide | 1.3% | 1,175 | Moderate | $26.00/hr |
| Seniors managers - public and private sector | 1.3% | 1,160 | No Job Bank outlook | — |
| Residential and commercial installers and servicers | 1.2% | 1,030 | Moderate | $25.00/hr |
| Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers | 0.8% | 750 | Limited | $17.95/hr |
| Managers in agricultureOur guide | 0.8% | 745 | Good | $31.25/hr |
Do those jobs have openings?
Which of those jobs are hiring?
2 of the 12 most common jobs have a good or very good Ontario outlook from Job Bank for 2025 to 2027, together covering 5% of these graduates. Outlook is a province-wide forecast of openings against job seekers, not a promise for any one town or employer.
- Electrical power line and cable workers: Job Bank outlook good, 3% of these graduates.
- Bricklayers: Job Bank outlook good, 2% of these graduates.
When the degree is not enough
What does the degree not lead to on its own?
A construction trades program is a start, not a licence. For a compulsory trade such as electrician or plumber, the legal way to work is through a registered apprenticeship, which needs a sponsor and a Training Agreement.
Some construction trades are non-compulsory, so the rules differ by trade. Check the trade's own page.
Routes that need more than the degree
Start a registered apprenticeship
Skilled Trades Ontario lists five steps: qualify (at least 16, authorized to work in Canada, the education the trade asks for, and a sponsor in Ontario), find a sponsor, apply, sign a Training Agreement with your sponsor, and download your logbook. It says about 20% of an apprenticeship is in-school training, in cycles of 8 to 12 weeks. A college program on its own is not an apprenticeship. Skilled Trades Ontario: starting your apprenticeshipElectrician, construction and maintenance (309A)
Skilled Trades Ontario lists this as a compulsory trade, about 9,000 hours including 840 in school, and a Red Seal trade. It says to practise legally in Ontario you must hold a Registered Training Agreement, Provisional Certificate of Qualification or Certificate of Qualification and appear on the Public Register. Skilled Trades Ontario: electrician, construction and maintenancePlumber (306A)
Skilled Trades Ontario lists Plumber as a compulsory trade, about 9,000 hours including 720 in school, and a Red Seal trade. The same registration rule applies as for other compulsory trades. Skilled Trades Ontario: plumberGeneral carpenter (403A)
Skilled Trades Ontario lists General Carpenter as a non-compulsory trade, 7,200 hours including 720 in school, and a Red Seal trade. It says certified practitioners do not appear on the Public Register because the trade is non-compulsory. Skilled Trades Ontario: general carpenter
Jobs to look at
Careers worth a closer look
Full guides: what the work is really like, who hates it, what it pays, and the route in.
- ElectricianInstalling and fixing the wiring that every other trade on a site depends on, mostly inside walls somebody else already closed up.Career guide
- PlumberInstalling and repairing the pipes that bring water in and take waste out, which means being needed most when something has already gone wrong.Career guide
- CarpenterBuilding the structure of things out of wood and steel, to a drawing, outdoors, in whatever the weather is doing.Career guide
- HVAC technicianInstalling and fixing the heating, cooling and refrigeration equipment that people only think about when it stops working.Career guide
- Heavy equipment operatorRunning the machines that dig, grade and lift on construction and civil sites, with a lot of waiting and a few minutes of exact work.Career guide
- Construction managerRunning the schedule, budget and people on a building project, and being the one phoned when any of those three goes wrong.Career guide
Read this before you rely on it
What the numbers do not show
- The Census is from 2021. Jobs and hiring have moved since. Job Bank's outlook is current to 2025 to 2027.
- It counts employed people and what they do, not whether they wanted that job or use their degree in it. A graduate working as a retail supervisor is counted in the data exactly like one working in their field.
- It is a 25% sample, and Statistics Canada rounds every count to a multiple of five. Small groups are noisy.
- For Ontario the Census publishes bachelor's degree or higher together, so those tables include master's and doctoral graduates.
- Each person is counted once, by their highest credential. A person who finished a diploma and then a degree appears under the degree, not the diploma.
- The 12 jobs shown are the most common, not all of them. The rest of the graduates are spread across hundreds of other jobs.
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population, tables 98-10-0447-01 and 98-10-0403-01; Job Bank (Employment and Social Development Canada) Ontario outlooks and wages, linked on each job. We join them by occupation code and change neither.
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