Study: Skilled trades employment

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More than one million people worked in skilled trades in 2007, where employment growth has been a steady 2.2% a year on average since the recession of the early 1990s. This group includes trades (such as plumbers, masons, mechanics and crane operators) where a licence or certificate may be a condition of employment.

In 1987, Alberta accounted for 9% of all trades employment; by 2007, this proportion had increased to 15%. During the same period, the proportion for British Columbia rose from 11% to 15%.

In contrast, Ontario accounted for 36% of trades employment in 2007, down from 41% in 1987, primarily because of slower employment growth.

Average hourly earnings in 2007 were higher in the trades ($22.36) than in other occupations ($21.02) combined, reflecting in part the predominance of full-time jobs and the relatively high rate of unionization in the skilled trades. The highest earners were electricians, crane operators and plumbers.

Between 1997 and 2007, employees in the trades saw a 3.5% increase in their average constant dollar hourly earnings, half the 7.4% increase for those outside the trades.

Self-employment is a growing phenomenon among tradespeople. In 1987, 9% of those employed in the trades were self-employed; by 2007, this had increased to 15%. Some trades experienced even higher growth rates, although their self-employment rates had not caught up to the non-trades.

The aging of the population has led to general concerns about the replacement of retiring workers. The ratio of entrants (age 25 to 34) to near-retirees (50 or older) addresses the issue of demographic balance, and shows that the skilled trades had a higher ratio in 2007 than those in other occupations combined (1.0 versus 0.7). This ratio varied among the trades though, with some having a higher ratio of younger workers (plumbers and masons at about 1.5).

Overall, 17% of workers in the trades were immigrants, lower than the 21% in the non-trades occupations combined. None of the trades had a higher proportion of immigrants than the non-trades. In 2007, 10% of plumbers were immigrants, the lowest proportion.

Note: The article "Employment in the trades" published in Perspectives on Labour and Income uses the Labour Force Survey and the National Occupational Classification to examine employment trends in trades occupations and characteristics of tradesworkers. In all, eight trades were selected for the purposes of this study. Trades in the service sector were not included.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3701.

The article "Skilled trades employment" is now available in the October 2008 online edition of Perspectives on Labour and Income, Vol. 9, no. 10 (75-001-XWE, free), from the Publications module of our website.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Wendy Pyper (613-951-0381; wendy.pyper@statcan.gc.ca), Income Statistics Division.