How Much Do Welders Make in Canada? Wages by Province

Welder pay in Canada differs by province, and two public sources measure it in different ways. Job Bank publishes hourly wages for welders and related machine operators (NOC 72106) in each province, and the 2021 Census reports what welders who worked full time all year earned in 2020. This page sets the two side by side, compares welding with other metal trades, and walks through the apprenticeship that leads to a trade certificate and a Red Seal endorsement. It is part of the salary by profession hub; what mechanics earn in Canada and electrician and plumber pay cover two other trades.

Hourly wages for welders by province

Welders and related machine operators have their top provincial median in Newfoundland and Labrador, $38.41 an hour, and their bottom one in Prince Edward Island, $25.00; the Canada-wide median is $30.00. Someone paid that national median for 40-hour weeks all year (2,080 hours) would earn about $62,400; real hours, overtime and unpaid gaps between jobs move that figure in either direction.

Source: Job Bank wages (Employment and Social Development Canada), NOC 72106. Low is the 10th percentile and high the 90th percentile of wages.

What welders earned in 2020: the Census

The 2021 Census asked about income in 2020, so its figures are older than Job Bank’s. For welders and related machine operators who worked the full year, full time, median employment income was $56,400 across Canada, $75,500 in Alberta and $55,600 in Ontario. The inflation-adjusted columns restate those 2020 amounts in today’s dollars using the Consumer Price Index; they show what the 2020 income would be worth now, not what welders are paid now.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population, Table 98-10-0586-01: employment income in 2020 of people who worked full year, full time. Columns in August 2026 dollars multiply the 2020 figure by the change in the Consumer Price Index from its 2020 average to August 2026 and round to the nearest $100; they are not newer survey results.

Welding compared with other metal trades

Job Bank publishes national hourly wages for welding and five related metal trades. The figures don’t all come from the same survey; the last column shows the period and data source for each:

Source: Job Bank wages (Employment and Social Development Canada). Low is the 10th percentile and high the 90th percentile of wages.

The construction workers pay page covers pay in the building trades.

Becoming a welder: the apprenticeship in Ontario

Each province and territory runs its own apprenticeship system, so hours and rules differ across the country. In Ontario, Skilled Trades Ontario’s welder program generally takes 6,000 hours (approximately three years): 5,280 hours of on-the-job work experience and 720 hours of in-school training, delivered in three levels of theoretical training.

Skilled Trades Ontario lists welder as a non-compulsory trade. In a non-compulsory trade in Ontario, you don't have to be certified to work, and a Certificate of Qualification earned in it doesn't have to be renewed. Some welding work carries its own legal requirement, though. Skilled Trades Ontario notes: “Certain tasks which may be performed by a Welder legally require the individual to be certified by the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA).”

Passing the certifying exam leads to the Certificate of Qualification. Who can take the exam in Ontario, and what it costs (Skilled Trades Ontario):

• You can take the exam once you complete an Ontario apprenticeship in a trade that has a certifying exam and receive your Certificate of Apprenticeship.
• If you are an experienced worker who has not completed an apprenticeship in Ontario, you can take it once Skilled Trades Ontario approves you through a Trade Equivalency Assessment.
• You pay an exam fee of $150 + HST before you take the exam.
• If you are an apprentice with a completed training agreement, you don't pay the fee for your first attempt.
• If you don't pass, you must wait 30 days before you retake the exam.
• You pay the exam fee again for each later attempt.

The Red Seal endorsement

In Ontario, welding is part of the Interprovincial Red Seal Program. A Red Seal endorsement is added to your provincial or territorial trade certificate once you pass the interprovincial Red Seal examination for your trade; it shows you meet that trade's national standard and helps you move between provinces, but certification to work in a trade is still issued by each province or territory. The trades workers pay guide explains how the Red Seal program works across trades.

Working as a contractor

Some welders work as independent contractors or run their own mobile welding business instead of drawing a wage. Pay then depends on the rates charged, billable hours and business costs, none of which the wage data above measures. Business income is reported and taxed differently from employment income; the self-employed tax deductions guide and the contractor vs employee tax comparison cover the details.

Related pages

• Salary by profession in Canada
• How much trades workers make in Canada
• How much mechanics make in Canada
• How much electricians and plumbers make in Canada
• How much construction workers make in Canada
• How much chefs and cooks make in Canada

→ Back to: Canadian Income Guide