It’s no news that Canada has a fast-aging population of workers that they need to replace, it is no different in the engineering field, mostly the civil and mechanical engineers.
As a result, both government and private organizations need to search beyond Canadian-trained engineers to fill all the emerging roles within the field. Who do you think would fill these engineering roles in Canada? Could be you, if you’re qualified! So, let’s get started.
We all know, engineering is a vast sector with many varying job opportunities in Canada. But for the sake of todays’ guide, we’d be focusing on electrical, civil, structural, mechanical, and geotechnical engineering. Engineers from the aforementioned disciplines can choose to work in consulting roles or through the contracting route.
In this article, we would be specifically delving into the consulting aspect of engineering as the nature of this field wouldn’t allow us to deal with all its aspects in one article. If your major focus is contracting, kindly visit the Construction Jobs in Canada webpage for a detailed summary of the labor market.
Consulting Engineering Professionals
For those wishing to pursue a career in design consulting, it’s salient to bear in mind that Canadian employers place a very high value on the Professional Engineer (P. Eng.) designation.
To obtain the P.Eng designation in Canada, engineers would be accredited by the regulatory provincial engineering body, additionally, they must obtain the status of Engineer-In-Training (EIT), and hold a job working under a professional engineer for at least three years.
There’s an agreement called the Washington Accord, under this agreement engineers who obtained their Chartership from any of 19 signatory countries or jurisdictions need 12 months of local experience and ought to pass an ethics exam before they are transferred to P. Eng. status in Canada.
The 19 signatory countries and jurisdictions are Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Japan, Ireland, South Korea, New Zealand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Peru, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Turkey.
As we have earlier established, engineering consultation jobs in Canada are in high demand, so it shouldn’t surprise you that skilled international candidates are also in high demand. So we recommend outpost recruitments to any engineer in search of a job as they help ease the process.
Outpost is a recruitment agency that works with top engineering consultancies to fill vacancies in the following engineering roles in Canada:
- Electrical Designers and Project Managers specifically for ICI Buildings
- Structural Designer and Project Manager specifically for ICI Buildings
- Mechanical Designers and Project Managers specifically for ICI Buildings
- Civil Designers and Project Managers specifically for land development & infrastructure
How to move to Canada as an engineer
Canada is no doubt an excellent country for many budding professionals, for engineering professionals it’s no different. One of the advantages of moving to Canada as an engineer is the multitude of options available to you.
Additionally, there are categories of work permit that doesn’t necessarily require a job offer unlike other countries like Australia, and finally, the direct, and quick route to permanent residence (PR), even when you don’t possess a job offer and even in cases where you have never lived in Canada before.
At immigly.com we’ve taken time to craft guides on how to immigrate to Canada as a worker, kindly take some time to read it by clicking here.
Canadian engineering roles in demand in 2021
There are many great things about engineering jobs in Canada, but one of those that stand out is their ability to remain quite resilient to the slings and arrows of economic misfortune or fortune, this doesn’t mean the industry is totally immune to the happenings in the wider economy but emphasizes that even as the economy wanes it really doesn’t affect the demand of highly skilled engineers across Canada.
We at immigly.com took time to research some of the highest in-demand engineering jobs in Canada in 2021 so far and below is our pick:
- Civil engineering technician
- Electrical engineer
- Mechanical engineer
- Engineering manager
- Project engineer
- Manufacturing engineer
- Process engineer
- Quality assurance technician
Engineering skills that are are in demand 2021
Factually, skills needed by Canadian employers as regards engineers vary all the time. That been said, depending on your aspect of specialization, the below-listed skills are highly sought-after in the Canadian market:
- Proficiency in AutoCAD is one of the most foremost skill employers demand
- Measurement and Instrumentation skills, mostly in manufacturing.
- Quality assurance skills is lauded across all engineering fields.
- Proficiency in Autodesk Revit for architects, structural engineers, and designers.
- Proficiency in Solidworks design software which is widely used at 165,000 companies.
Certifications in-demand for engineers in Canada
In Canada, the top certifications for 2021 so far in no particular order are:
- Professional Engineer (P.Eng / PE)
- Structural Engineer (SE)
- Engineer in Training (EIT)
- Certified Engineering Technologist (C.Tech / CET)
- Electronic Systems Technician (EST)
- Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD)
Engineering jobs in Canada resources
- Engineers Canada — Newcomers resources
- British Columbia: APEGBC (Association of Professional Engineers/Consultants for BC)
- Alberta: APEGGA (Association of Professional Engineers/Consultants for Alberta)
- Ontario: PEO (Professional Engineers Ontario)
- Saskatchewan: APEGS (Association of Professional Engineers/Consultants for Saskatchewan)
