Engineering & technical · Building & Making

Electronic service technician: what the job actually is

Installing, testing and repairing the electronic equipment homes and businesses depend on, from audio systems to alarms.

Published October 6, 2026Last reviewed October 6, 2026How we research and correct this

Electronic service technician salary in Ontario: the median pay is $26.00 an hour, according to Job Bank (reference period 2023-2024). Its three-year outlook in Ontario is moderate. The job usually needs a college diploma, or an apprenticeship of two or more years.

Median pay in Ontario: $26.00 an hour
Pay range (low to high): $18.75 to $40.00 an hour
Job outlook, 2025-2027: Moderate
People working in it in Ontario: 18,950
Usually needs: Usually a college diploma, or an apprenticeship of two or more years

Source: Job Bank wages (updated 19 November 2025) and job prospects (updated 10 December 2025), NOC 22311. Pay varies by region and experience.

The work

What this job actually is

Fixing and installing electronic equipment for households and businesses, such as audio and video systems, computers and peripherals, office equipment and security systems.
Job Bank's group is electronic service technicians for household and business equipment. Its outlook text mentions sales, installation and repair work, and security alarm installers and technicians.
The work includes diagnosing the fault, which is often the longer part, then replacing the failed part or the whole unit. Sometimes the right answer is that it is not worth repairing.
Much of it is going to a customer's home or office, so you also deal with people, whose equipment is often the most important thing in their day.
Equipment changes quickly and many things are now replaced rather than repaired, which shapes how much repair work exists.

A Tuesday

What a normal day looks like

Not a good day or a bad one. The ordinary version, which is what you would actually be living.

7:45 — Load the van with parts and test gear. First call is across town.
8:30 — Arrive at a home where the surround sound has gone silent. Check the cables before you check anything clever.
9:30 — It was a loose connection. Fix it, test it, and explain what happened without making the customer feel silly.
10:30 — Next call: a business security panel throws a fault code. Look up the code, then trace the sensor.
12:00 — Lunch in the van.
12:30 — Replace a failed sensor. Test every zone, one at a time.
14:00 — Back to the shop to bench-test a customer's amplifier. It needs a part that is no longer made.
15:00 — Call the customer. Say plainly that repair costs more than replacing, and what the options are.
16:00 — Paperwork: what you replaced, what it cost, what you told them.
16:45 — Restock the van and check tomorrow's route.

Honestly

Who loves this, and who should not do it

The second list is the useful one. Nearly every careers page leaves it out, which is why nearly every careers page reads like an advert.

How you actually get there in Ontario

Finish high school with maths, physics and any electronics course
Job Bank says the routes in are a two- to three-year college electronics programme, a four-year apprenticeship in electronic servicing and repair, or high school or college electronics courses with on-the-job training.
Take a college electronics programme or find an employer
Ontario colleges list electronics and technology programmes on ontariocolleges.ca. If you want the apprenticeship route, you need an employer willing to take you on, as with other Ontario trades.
Know that certification is voluntary
Job Bank says the occupation is regulated in Ontario with Skilled Trades Ontario as the regulatory body, and that trade certification for consumer electronics technicians is available but voluntary. You do not need to be certified to work, though it may help your prospects.
Specialise where the work is
Security and alarm systems, business audio and video, and equipment servicing are the areas Job Bank's outlook text names. Each has its own manufacturer training.

Where this comes from: Job Bank — Requirements for electronic service technicians in Ontario · Job Bank — Requirements for electronic service technicians (household and business equipment) · ontariocolleges.ca — Computer - Repair / Maintenance programs

The money

Electronic service technician salary in Ontario

Job Bank's own figures, quoted rather than summarised, with the period they describe — so you can tell how old they are and go and check them.

$18.75: Low (hourly)
$26.00: Median (hourly)
$40.00: High (hourly)

Ontario, NOC 22311. Reference period 2023-2024, last updated by Job Bank on 19 November 2025. Wages vary a lot by region inside Ontario and by how long you have been doing it — the low figure is roughly where you start, not what the job is worth.

Source: Job Bank — Electronic service technician wages in Ontario

Where it is heading

The outlook for the next three years

Job Bank publishes a three-year outlook for every job in every province. It is the closest thing to an honest forecast, and it moves, so read it as a weather report rather than a verdict.

Ontario, 2025-2027

Moderate3 out of 5 stars

Employment decline will lead to the loss of some positions.
Several positions will become available due to retirements.
There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

What that rating means: how many openings Job Bank expects in Ontario for this kind of work against how many people are likely to be looking — not whether it is a good job. A “limited” rating means more competition for each opening; it does not close the door, and it can change before you are ready to walk through it.

What is changing in this work

Household ownership of electronics and equipment such as televisions and computers, and the province's large commercial base will support work in sales, installation and repairs
Increasing levels of residential construction and the growing home security market including 'smart' services, should benefit security alarm installers and technicians

Who hires for it

All major industry categories, but the leading shares are employed with, building equipment contractors in construction, and electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance

18,950: people work in this job in Ontario
6%: are women (48% across all jobs)
16%: are self-employed (15% across all jobs)

Source: Job Bank — Electronic service technicians (household and business equipment) job prospects in Ontario (NOC 22311). Outlook updated by Job Bank on 10 December 2025; read by us on 5 October 2026.

Before you leave school

Things you can do now

Take electronics, physics and any technology course with circuits. A school robotics club is a good place to learn to solder.
Ask a teacher or relative for a dead radio, lamp or console and open it up under supervision, to see what is inside.
Ask about OYAP or a co-op with a local electronics or security company.
Learn to read a simple circuit diagram. It is a language, and it comes quickly with practice.

Test it

Do this before you decide anything

Reading about a job tells you almost nothing. This is designed to be done alone, this week, for free.

Diagnose a dead gadget without touching the inside

About 60 minutes

Find something broken that is safe to look at and not plugged into the wall, like a remote control with no power, or a dead toy. Do not open anything that plugs into mains.
Write a list of things that could be wrong, from simple to complex: batteries, contacts, buttons, cable. Test the simple ones first.
Look up whether that kind of device is usually repaired or replaced, and what a repair shop charges, by phoning or checking a shop's site.
Note whether you enjoyed the narrowing-down, and whether you would still enjoy it when the answer is 'it costs more to fix than to replace'.

What it tells you. If the narrowing-down was the fun part, electronics servicing fits you. If the cost-of-repair answer deflated you, think about installation or systems work, where you build rather than repair. If neither appealed, a different technical field may suit you better.

Better than any article

Questions for somebody who does this job

Most people say yes to a teenager who asks good questions. These are the ones that get real answers rather than encouragement.

“How much of your work is repair and how much is installation?”
“How often do you tell a customer it is not worth fixing?”
“Did you take a college programme, an apprenticeship or learn on the job?”
“Is trade certification actually worth it where you work?”
“Which part of the job would you do without?”
“How is this work changing?”

Could you own one of these?

The part other career sites never mention

Yes, as a repair shop, installer or security systems business. Job Bank's figures show some people in this group are self-employed. Insurance, reputation and cash flow decide whether it survives, so most people work for someone for a while first.

Business 101 is free and teaches that part

Quick answers

Questions people ask about this job

How much does an electronic service technician make in Ontario?

The median pay for an electronic service technician in Ontario is $26.00 an hour, according to Job Bank (reference period 2023-2024, updated 19 November 2025). The range Job Bank publishes runs from $18.75 to $40.00 an hour. Pay varies by region, employer and experience.

What is the job outlook for an electronic service technician in Ontario?

Job Bank rates the employment outlook for this work in Ontario as moderate for 2025-2027 (updated 10 December 2025). Employment decline will lead to the loss of some positions. Several positions will become available due to retirements. There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation. A lower rating means more competition for each opening, not that no one is hiring.

What do you need to become an electronic service technician in Ontario?

Job Bank says this work usually needs a college diploma, or an apprenticeship of two or more years. The usual route in Ontario, in order: Finish high school with maths, physics and any electronics course; Take a college electronics programme or find an employer; Know that certification is voluntary.

Where does an electronic service technician work in Ontario?

All major industry categories, but the leading shares are employed with, building equipment contractors in construction, and electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance. (Job Bank.)

How many people work as an electronic service technician in Ontario, and how many are women?

Job Bank counts about 18,950 people working in this job in Ontario. 6% of them are women, compared with 48% across all jobs. That describes who does the work today, not who can.

Where people come from

Which programs lead here?

In the 2021 Census, this job is one of the 12 most common for graduates of these programs. Each page shows what else they do, and which of those jobs have openings.

Engineering technology diploma2.5% of employed Ontarians aged 25 to 34 with a college certificate or diploma in engineering technology work as electronic service technicians (household and business equipment).Census 2021

Tech and engineering jobs: who is hiring What can you do with your degree?

Not sure this is the right list to be reading

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Parent of a teenager weighing this up? Career coaching for teens gets them talking to people who do the work, anywhere in Ontario.

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