Posted on November 24 2022

Job trends of Power Engineer in Canada, 2023-24

By
Anshul Singhal
, Editor

Updated March 26 2024

Why work in Canada as a Power Engineer?

3.5% annual job growth rate for Power Engineers
For the next 10 years, there is a high demand for Power Engineers in Canada
CAD 78,720 average wages per annum
5 provinces have a highest no. of vacancies for Power Engineers
Power Engineers' can migrate through 9 pathways

About Canada

Canada experiences a 71.8% rise in new foreign nationals and permanent residents in just the first five months of 2022. Canada has been modifying and easing the immigration targets based on the Immigration levels plan for 2023-25 to encourage more immigrants.

Canada has already crossed the immigration target for 2023 concerning its Immigration levels plan for 2023-2025. Canada has fast-paced its immigration by reducing the medical tests for some of the skilled workers and till now around 470,000 immigrants have landed in Canada.

Originally according to the immigration target levels plan, Canada planned to welcome 485,000 immigrants as new PRs to the country in 2023.

Year	Immigration Levels Plan
2023	465,000 permanent residents
2024	485,000 permanent residents
2025	500,000 permanent residents

Canada has crossed its immigration target for 2023 and is planning to expand its target to fulfil the current requirement.

Sean Fraser, The Immigration Minister is planning to introduce a new pathway for Temporary workers who can become Permanent residents in significant time. This route is called the TR-to-PR pathway.

Most immigrants search for jobs in Canada and they immigrate through hundreds of immigration routes that are provided by the Canadian government.

Job trends in Canada, 2023

Canadian businesses are facing severe manpower shortages to fill up unoccupied jobs as there are no Canadian permanent residents or Canadian citizens to fill these. Approximately 40% of Canadian businesses are in dire need of workers hence they are looking for foreign immigrants to fill these.

Canada plans immigration as its main priority to get international talent to the country and become an essential part of improving the country’s economy. Canada has eased its immigration rules and introduced economic immigration pathways for foreign skilled workers.

These skilled workers are selected based on the occupation that is in shortage. The job vacancies in Canada have recorded an all-time rise of 5.7% in the second quarter of 2022.

The average hourly wages were increased by 5.3% for some of the provinces for almost all the sectors in 2021. And the requirement for a workforce is also getting increased in most of the provinces.

Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan have a high demand for Power Engineer jobs.

Power Engineer, NOC Code (TEER code)

The power Engineer's job is to operate and maintain reactors, generators, turbines, reactors, stationary engines, and auxiliary equipment which is used to generate electrical power so that it can provide light, heat, refrigeration, and some of the other utility services for institutional, commercial, and industrial plants and facilities.

The Power systems operators need to monitor and operate the switchboards and related machinery in electrical control centers to manage and control the distribution of electrical power in the available transmission networks.

These can be employed by power generation plants, manufacturing plants, electrical power utilities, universities, hospitals, commercial establishments, and government organizations. The 2016 NOC code of Power Engineer is 9241 and its TEER Category is 2. According to the recent update of NOC codes, 2021, the Power Engineer NOC code is 92100 and its TEER code comes under 20010.

Roles and responsibilities of Power Engineer

Must operate stationary engines, computerized or automated control systems, and auxiliary equipment like boilers, compressors, generators, pollution control devices, pumps, turbines, and other equipment to produce electric power and to provide heat, light, refrigeration, and ventilation for buildings, facilities, and industrial plants.
To start up, and shut down the power plant equipment, control water levels, control switching operations, co-ordinate with loads of transmission, its frequency, and line voltages, and communicate with systems operators to inspect, monitor, and regulate alarms, computer terminals, plant equipment, gauges, meters, switches, valves, and other instruments.
This is used to measure air & fuel flow, pressure, temperature, and need to emissions of detect leaks or any other equipment-related malfunctions, and must ensure the maximum efficiency of equipment at plants.
Record and analyze the instrument readings and malfunctions of equipment.
Troubleshoot and execute the corrective plan and minor repairs to avoid prevent system failure and equipment. Acknowledge emergencies when required.
Maintain clean and lubricate the generators, pumps, and compressors turbines, and do other necessary and routine equipment-maintenance duties by using appropriate lubricants and power & precision tools.
Must maintain a daily log of maintenance, operation, and safety activities. Write reports on plant operation and non-compliance.
Need to assist in the development of maintenance, operation, and safety procedures.

Prevailing wages of Power Engineer in Canada

Usually, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan have a high demand for Power Engineer jobs. Along with these provinces, Ontario and Manitoba also pay good wages for Power Engineers.

The average hourly wage for power engineers in Canada is between CAD 25.00 to CAD 46.00. The range of average wages per hour differs based on the provinces and territories. To get a job as a Power Engineer, an individual must need to know the job requirement of each province and territory.

The following table depicts the average wages per annum and the corresponding Provinces are shown:

Provinces and Areas	Average Wages per annum
Canada	78,720
Alberta	88,320
British Columbia	72,960
Manitoba	71,040
New Brunswick	53,760
Newfoundland and Labrador	61,843.20
Nova Scotia	64,108.80
Ontario	82,560
Prince Edward Island	48,000
Quebec	57,600
Saskatchewan	76,800

Eligibility criteria for Power Engineer

A power engineer typically needs to fulfil the following requirements are applicable to all Power Engineers and Power systems operators (NOC 9241).
A secondary school certificate after completion is a mandatory requirement.
Power Engineers need a college training program in power engineering or stationary engineering and significant years of work experience in the concerned field.
Power Engineers need a certificate of provincial or territorial stationary engineering or power engineering according to the class.
For Nova Scotia and Quebec provinces, Stationary engineer trade certification is mandatory according to the class (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th class). For New Brunswick this certificate is voluntary.
At least 3-5 years of power system operator apprenticeship program certification is needed for power system operators or a minimum of three years of work experience in the trade and/or experience in any college or industry courses in electronic and electrical technologies.
Need to have Trade certification along with that volunteering for power system operators in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Location	Job title	Regulation	Regulatory body
Alberta	Power Engineer	Regulated	Alberta Boilers Safety Association
British Columbia	Boiler Operator	Regulated	Technical Safety BC
	Power Engineer	Regulated	Technical Safety BC
	Refrigeration Operator	Regulated	Technical Safety BC
Manitoba	Power Engineer	Regulated	Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner
Newfoundland and Labrador	Power Systems Operator	Regulated	Apprenticeship and Trades Certification Division, Departmant of Advanced Education and Skills of Newfoundland and Labrador
Nova Scotia	Power Engineer	Regulated	Technical Safety Division, Labour and Advanced Education
Ontario	Facilities Mechanic	Regulated	Ontario College of Trades
	Facilities Technician	Regulated	Ontario College of Trades
	Operator	Regulated	Technical Standards and Safety Authority
	Operating Engineer	Regulated	Technical Standards and Safety Authority
	Process Operator (power)	Regulated	Ontario College of Trades
Prince Edward Island	Power Engineer	Regulated	Department of Communities, Land, and Environment, Prince Edward Island Government
Québec	Distribution System Controller	Regulated	Emploi Québec
Québec	Stationary Engine Mechanic	Regulated	Emploi Québec
Saskatchewan	Power Engineer	Regulated	Technical Safety Authority of Saskatchewan

Power Engineer - Number of vacancies in Canada

A total of 93 available jobs across the following provinces and territories for Power Engineers. Check out the table for the list.

Location	Available jobs
British Columbia	10
Canada	93
Manitoba	2
New Brunswick	6
Nova Scotia	2
Ontario	9
Prince Edward Island	1
Québec	56
Saskatchewan	6

*Note: The number of job vacancies may differ. This is given as per the information on October, 2022.

Power Engineers have different prospects based on their work. Following is the list of titles that come under this occupation.

Auxiliary plant operator
Stationary engineer
Power engineer
System controller - electrical power systems
Energy from waste plant operator
Control room operator - electrical power systems
Electrical power systems operator
Nuclear generating station field operator
Load dispatcher apprentice - electrical power systems
Building systems technician
Nuclear reactor operator - electrical power systems
Distribution control operator - electrical power systems
Power dispatcher - generating station
Power plant stationary engineer
Apprentice power dispatcher
Power plant operator

The Power Engineers' opportunities for the next 3 years in the provinces and the territories are listed in the following table.

Location	Job prospects
Alberta	Good
British Columbia	Good
Manitoba	Fair
New Brunswick	Good
Newfoundland and Labrador	Fair
Nova Scotia	Fair
Ontario	Fair
Prince Edward Island	Fair
Quebec	Fair
Saskatchewan	Good
Yukon Territory	Fair

How can a Power Engineer migrate to Canada?

Power Engineers are one of the in-demand occupations in Canada for some of the provinces. To migrate as a Power Engineer in Canada, a foreign worker can apply through FSTP, IMP, and TFWP

They can migrate to Canada through:

How Y-Axis can helps a Power Engineer to immigrate to Canada?

Y-Axis offers assistance to find a Power Engineer job in Canada with the following services.

Eligibility Check:You can check your eligibility for free through the Y-Axis Canada Immigration Points Calculator
Coaching Services:Y-Axis provides coaching services for language proficiency tests which include IELTS, CELPIP, and PTE
Counseling:Y-Axis provides free counseling services
Canada PR Visa:Avail of complete guidance related to Canada PR visa
Job services:Avail job search services to find right job in Canada