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Skilled trades · Building & Making

Roofer: what the job actually is

Installing, repairing and replacing roofs, on a slope or flat, in whatever weather the schedule says.

Published Last reviewed How we research and correct this

Roofer: quick facts

Roofer salary in Ontario: the median pay is $29.14 an hour, according to Job Bank (reference period 2023-2024). Its three-year outlook in Ontario is moderate. The job usually needs a shorter college programme or apprenticeship, or over six months of on-the-job training.

Median pay in Ontario
$29.14 an hour
Pay range (low to high)
$22.00 to $40.00 an hour
Job outlook, 2025-2027
Moderate
People working in it in Ontario
7,200
Usually needs
Usually a shorter college programme or apprenticeship, or over six months of on-the-job training

Source: Job Bank wages (updated 19 November 2025) and job prospects (updated 10 December 2025), NOC 73110. Pay varies by region and experience.

The work

What this job actually is

  • Installing, repairing and replacing roofs. Skilled Trades Ontario describes the trade as covering flat and sloped roofs and a range of materials: shingles, slate, shakes and tiles, plus membrane roofing, waterproofing, green roofs and solar panel installation.
  • Skilled Trades Ontario lists Roofer as trade code 449A and as non-compulsory. It is a Red Seal trade.
  • The work is stripping the old roof, preparing the surface, laying the new layers in the right order and sealing every joint and edge, because a roof's job is to keep water out and it has only one way to fail.
  • It is outdoors and high up in all but the worst weather, and a lot of the work is done at pace because a half-finished roof is exposed to rain.
  • Job Bank's Ontario outlook names construction, such as building finishing contractors, and companies that provide services to buildings as the main employers, and says construction activity is expected to be favourable over the forecast period.

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.

  1. 6:30 — Meet the crew at the shop and load the truck: shingle bundles, underlayment, nails, ladders, tarps.
  2. 7:15 — On site. Set up the ladder or hoist, check the weather forecast for rain, and walk the roof to see what the last crew left.
  3. 7:45 — Tear off the old shingles with a shovel-like tool. It is dusty, heavy, and the debris goes into a bin below.
  4. 9:30 — Break. Water, and a look at the sky.
  5. 9:45 — Inspect the exposed deck for rot and fix it before anything goes on top. This is the bit nobody sees and everybody depends on.
  6. 10:30 — Lay the underlayment, flashing around chimneys and vents, and the drip edge.
  7. 12:00 — Lunch in the truck.
  8. 12:30 — Shingle in rows, nailing to a pattern, square to the line, as quickly as you safely can. The sun is on you and the shingles are hot.
  9. 15:30 — Seal the ridge, check every flashing, then clean the yard: magnets for nails, rakes for debris.
  10. 16:30 — Tarp anything unfinished against rain, and load the truck.

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.

You may like this if
  • You like being outside, working with your hands and finishing something you can see from the street.
  • You are comfortable with heights and you take safety seriously every time.
  • You like fast, physical work and being part of a crew that gets a roof done.
  • You want a trade with a shorter apprenticeship than most. Skilled Trades Ontario lists 4,000 hours for this one.
  • You can see yourself running your own crew eventually.
You may hate this if
  • Heights frighten you. Almost every day is spent on a slope or an edge, and a fall is the main risk of the trade.
  • Weather bothers you. Roofers work in summer heat on surfaces that are hotter than the air, and in the cold. Rain stops the work, which can also affect your pay and schedule.
  • You dislike hard physical work. Carrying bundles up ladders, kneeling, bending and tearing off old roofing is hard on knees and backs.
  • You want an indoor job or a steady schedule. The work follows the weather and the season.
  • You do not want to deal with unhappy customers. When a roof leaks, it is the roofer's name on it.

The route in

How you actually get there in Ontario

  1. Know the trade

    Skilled Trades Ontario lists Roofer as trade code 449A and non-compulsory, so you can work as a roofer without certification. It is a Red Seal trade, so the qualification is recognised across Canada.

  2. Get hired by a roofing contractor

    The gate is an employer willing to register you and sign off your hours. Ask local roofing contractors what they look for in a new apprentice. Start by being reliable and on time, and by being clearly willing to work.

  3. Work the hours

    Skilled Trades Ontario lists the apprenticeship as 4,000 hours, described as approximately two years: 3,520 hours on the job and 480 hours in school. You then write the certifying exam for a Certificate of Qualification.

  4. Do your fall-protection training

    We did not verify the specific safety and fall-protection courses that Ontario employers require. Ask any contractor what training you need before you step on a roof. It is the part of the job you cannot skip.

  5. Use school routes to start

    Ontario says OYAP lets students in Grade 11 or 12 earn co-op credits through a placement in a skilled trade. Ask your co-op teacher or board recruiter whether any roofing contractor near you takes students.

Where this comes from: Skilled Trades Ontario — Roofer (449A) · Ontario — Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program

The money

Roofer 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.

$22.00
Low (hourly)
$29.14
Median (hourly)
$40.00
High (hourly)

Ontario, NOC 73110. 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 — Roofer 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 growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
  • Not many 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

  • Construction activity is expected to be favourable across Ontario over the forecast period, supporting opportunities in this occupation
  • Large infrastructure investments in transit, health care, and other public facilities
  • Steady demand for new housing to meet population growth, and home renovations
  • Ongoing need for repair and maintenance work

Who hires for it

  • Construction, such as building finishing contractors
  • Companies that provide services to buildings and dwellings
7,200
people work in this job in Ontario
less than 5%
are women (48% across all jobs)
27%
are self-employed (15% across all jobs)

Source: Job Bank — Roofers and shinglers job prospects in Ontario (NOC 73110). 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 technology, shop and construction courses, and maths. Roof pitches, areas and quantities are all arithmetic.
  • Ask about OYAP and co-op, and an SHSM in construction.
  • Take any work-at-heights or fall-protection course your school or board offers to students.
  • Look at the roofs on your street from the ground. Notice the slopes, the materials, the flashings and the places where water would try to get in.

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.

Read the roofs on your street from the ground

About 45 minutes
  1. Walk around your neighbourhood and look at ten roofs from the pavement, staying on the ground. Do not climb on anything. Note slope, materials and any sag, patching or stained edges.
  2. Pick one roof and work out its area by estimating the length and width of each side. Watch a video of a roofer shingling a similar roof and count how long each row takes.
  3. Check the weather forecast for the next week and mark every day a roofer could and could not work. Ask what that does to income and schedule.
  4. Phone or email one local roofing contractor and ask what a first-year apprentice does, and what training they need before going on a roof.

What it tells you. If you enjoyed reading the roofs and thinking about how they fail, the trade's mix of outdoor, practical and exact may suit you. If looking at the height and the weather in the video made you uneasy, that matters more than anything else on this page, so listen to it.

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.

  1. “What do you do when you are afraid up there, and how does that change over the years?”
  2. “How does the weather affect your income and your schedule?”
  3. “What does your body feel like after ten years?”
  4. “What is the biggest mistake a first-year apprentice can make?”
  5. “Which roofing materials do you prefer to work with, and why?”
  6. “How did you get from apprentice to running a crew?”

Could you own one of these?

The part other career sites never mention

Yes, and roofing is one of the more common trades to own. A small roofing company needs a truck, ladders, tools, insurance and crew, plus quoting and warranty skills. Safety, workplace insurance and customer disputes are where small roofers get into trouble, so work for a good one first.

Business 101 is free and teaches that part

Quick answers

Questions people ask about this job

How much does a roofer make in Ontario?

The median pay for a roofer in Ontario is $29.14 an hour, according to Job Bank (reference period 2023-2024, updated 19 November 2025). The range Job Bank publishes runs from $22.00 to $40.00 an hour. Pay varies by region, employer and experience.

What is the job outlook for a roofer in Ontario?

Job Bank rates the employment outlook for this work in Ontario as moderate for 2025-2027 (updated 10 December 2025). Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions. Not many 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 a roofer in Ontario?

Job Bank says this work usually needs a shorter college programme or apprenticeship, or over six months of on-the-job training. The usual route in Ontario, in order: Know the trade; Get hired by a roofing contractor; Work the hours.

Where does a roofer work in Ontario?

Construction, such as building finishing contractors. Companies that provide services to buildings and dwellings. (Job Bank.)

How many people work as a roofer in Ontario, and how many are women?

Job Bank counts about 7,200 people working in this job in Ontario. Less than 5% of them are women, compared with 48% across all jobs. That describes who does the work today, not who can.

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Wages and training requirements change. Every figure on this page is linked to the body that publishes it, and the review date above says when we last checked. If you find something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.