Job prospects Lead Welder in Québec

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "lead welder" in Québec or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Québec

These outlooks were updated on December 11, 2024.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be limited for Welders and related machine operators (NOC 72106) in Quebec for the 2024-2026 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to a few 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.

Employment in this profession is influenced by major projects and investments from various government levels, which stimulate the activity of key industries that employ this workforce. This workforce is also present in different sub sectors of manufacturing. 

Investments in the transportation industry, public transit projects, electricity-related projects, highways and bridges, as well as collective housing projects are expected to promote employment in this profession, as many of these require work with metallic materials. 

Over the forecast period, there will be less flexibility in terms of investments made by governments considering the budgetary constraints. Economic uncertainty could also negatively affect the needs of the manufacturing sector. 

Thus, despite the high demand for housing, growth in construction could be impacted by interest rates that remain high. Combined with a labour shortage, this could hinder new residential construction. 

While the employment outlook is limited for this occupation at the provincial level, it will be moderate in 10 regions. 

Here are some key facts about Welders and related machine operators in Quebec:

• Approximately 21,250 people work in this occupation.
• Welders and related machine operators mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Repair and maintenance (NAICS 811): 23%
  • Fabricated metal product manufacturing (NAICS 332): 17%
  • Machinery manufacturing (NAICS 333): 11%
  • Construction (NAICS 23): 10%
  • Transportation equipment manufacturing (NAICS 336): 9%
• 60% of welders and related machine operators work all year, while 40% work only part of the year, compared to 62% and 38% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 44 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
• 6% of welders and related machine operators are self-employed compared to an average of 12% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: more than 95% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: less than 5% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: 12% compared to 12% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 11% compared to 19% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 66% compared to 19% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 8% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: less than 5% compared to 17% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 11% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Québec by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Job prospects elsewhere in Canada

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "lead welder" in Québec or across Canada.

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