The demographics of who welds in Canada

Every two years, CWB Group takes stock of the people who make up Canada’s welding workforce in the Welding Industry Report. We look at how many welders there are, where they work, and who they are. The 2026 report describes a workforce that is smaller than it was a year ago, but changing in other ways. Here’s a closer look at the numbers.

Workforce numbers

In 2025, Canada employed 90,200 welders and related machine operators, part of a broader group of about 215,100 people in welding-related occupations. Employment has been largely flat over the past decade, with average annual growth of -0.1% from 2016 to 2025. After rebounding from a pandemic low of 80,400 in 2021 to 100,000 in 2024, it fell 9.8% in 2025, likely reflecting ongoing economic and trade-related uncertainty.

The workforce is concentrated in four provinces. Quebec (25,200), Ontario (24,900), Alberta (15,600), and British Columbia (11,200) together account for more than three-quarters of Canada’s welders. Quebec nudged past Ontario in 2025 as home to the country’s largest welding workforce, with 27.9% of welders compared with Ontario’s 27.6%.

Gender

Welding remains a male-dominated trade. Men made up an average of 95.7% of the workforce between 2016 and 2025, and male employment accounted for most of the 2025 decline, falling 10.5% to 84,800.

Women’s participation tells a different story. The number of women in welding more than doubled over the decade, from 2,500 in 2016 to 5,400 in 2025, raising their share of the workforce from 2.7% to 6.0%. Female employment was also less affected by the pandemic. Industry efforts focused on recruitment, apprenticeship participation, and career awareness among underrepresented groups—like work undertaken by the CWB Foundation—may be contributing to the trend.

A wage gap persists. In 2025, women earned an average of $28.04 an hour, or 82.7% of the male average of $33.90.

Age

The average welder in Canada was 39.2 years old in 2025. Over the past decade, the average held steady at about 40 years, slightly younger than the 41.3 average across all occupations.

Nearly half of welders (49.1%) are aged 25 to 44. But 36.0% are 45 or older, including 16.8% aged 55 and over. That older group will move steadily toward retirement over the coming decade, creating replacement demand across the country.

Education and apprenticeship

Between 2016 and 2025, an average of 69.5% of welders had some post-secondary education, a trade certificate, or a college diploma. University degrees are still uncommon, but their share more than doubled, from 2.4% in 2016 to 5.3% in 2025.

Apprenticeship data points to a widening gap. New welding apprenticeship registrations rose from 3,762 in 2015 to 4,128 in 2024, a strong post-pandemic recovery. Over the same period, certificates granted fell from 2,502 to 1,029.* More people are entering the pathway, but far fewer are reaching certification.

Immigration

Immigrants made up an average of 18.6% of welders from 2016 to 2025, below the 25.8% share across all occupations. The number of immigrants working as welders has been fairly stable over the decade, though it declined from 20,500 in 2024 to 16,900 in 2025.

Recent arrivals are becoming more important. In 2025, 3,700 welders, or 21.9% of immigrant welders, had landed in Canada within the previous five years. That is higher than the 17.9% share across all occupations, suggesting newcomers are playing a growing role in replenishing the trade.

This comes as federal targets tighten. Permanent resident admissions are set to fall from 395,000 in 2025 to 365,000 in 2027, putting added pressure on this source of supply that the trade increasingly relies on.

Indigenous welders

Indigenous people are better represented in welding than in the broader labour market. Between 2016 and 2025, they made up an average of 5.3% of welders, compared with 3.3% across all occupations. In 2025, about 4,000 welders identified as Indigenous, or 4.4% of the workforce.

Representation is highest in Manitoba (10.2%), Saskatchewan (10.0%), and British Columbia (9.0%), reflecting Western Canada’s larger Indigenous population. Indigenous recruitment, training, and apprenticeship pathways will be an important part of the trade’s future.

Looking ahead

Retirements, not growth, will drive future hiring. The Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) expects about 25,600 job openings for welders and related machine operators between 2024 and 2033, closely matched by 25,000 job seekers, signalling a moderate risk of shortage. Roughly 78% of those openings will come from replacement demand, mostly retirements. Only 22% will come from employment growth.

Near-term prospects for welders vary by region. Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have the best opportunities through 2027, driven by shipbuilding, manufacturing and construction, while Ontario’s is the most limited.

The 2026 Welding Industry Report brings together the most current information on who Canada’s welders are, where they work, and where demand is heading. Employment is down, but more women are joining the trade. Fewer apprentices are reaching certification, but newcomers are filling a growing share of jobs, and retirements will shape hiring for years to come. Taken together, these findings can help employers and policymakers set priorities that reflect the realities of the workforce.

Explore the full 2026 Welding Industry Report: https://www.cwbgroup.org/industry-report/

Également disponible en français : https://www.cwbgroup.org/industry-report/fr/index.html

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Notes:

* This number does not include trade qualifiers, meaning experienced workers who were certified through a challenge exam rather than by completing an apprenticeship.