Welder

In Canada, the federal government groups and organizes occupations based on a National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. This alis occupation may not reflect the entire NOC group it is part of. Data for the NOC group can apply across multiple occupations.

The NOC system is updated every 5 years to reflect changes in the labour market. Government forms and labour market data may group and refer to an occupation differently, depending on the system used.

Here is how this occupation has been classified over time.

2006 NOC

• 7265.1: Welders
• 7265.2: Welding, Brazing and Soldering Machine Operators

2006 NOC-S

• H326: Welders and Related Machine Operators

2011 NOC

• 7237: Welders and related machine operators

2016 NOC

• 7237: Welders and related machine operators

2021 NOC

• 72106: Welders and related machine operators

2023 OaSIS

• 72106.01: Welders
• 72106.02: Welding, brazing and soldering machine operators

In Alberta, welder is a compulsory designated trade with a wire process operator branch available.

Welders and wire process operators join and sever metals in beams, girders, vessels, piping and other metal components, make metal parts used in construction and manufacturing plants, and weld parts, tools, machines and equipment. They fuse metal pieces together with heat using different welding processes. The processes and fillers they choose depends on the type of metal, its size and shape, and requirements for finished product strength.

Welders are certified in all welding processes. For typical welding projects, they:

• Develop patterns or follow directions given in layouts, drawing interpretation and work orders
• Shape component parts, clean, and check for defects
• Weld parts together

Wire process operators work primarily in production and manufacturing plants, joining components and sub-assemblies. They are limited to the following welding processes:

• Gas metal arc welding (GMAW)
• Flux cored arc welding (FCAW)
• Submerged arc welding (SAW)
• Other semiautomatic wire feed welding processes

They may also use cutting torches to separate metals, or build up worn parts by welding layers of high-strength hard-metal alloys onto them. For typical welding projects, wire process operators:

• Follow directions in layouts, drawing interpretation, and work orders
• Join parts together
• Shape component parts, clean welds, and check for defects

A 40-hour workweek is typical but overtime is sometimes required to meet project deadlines. There is possible risk of injury involved in working with torches and hot metals, and the resulting sparks and toxic gases. They wear personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce these risks.

Wire process operators usually work in production plants and metal fabrication shops. They spend most of their working hours on their feet.

Welders may work outdoors on construction sites or indoors in production and repair shops. For jobs such as oilfield welding, they can expect to do some traveling.

Welders are employed in industries involved in:

• Vessel or structural steel assembly
• Pipeline construction
• Commercial construction
• Industrial construction
• Steel fabrication
• Heavy equipment repair

Wire process operators are employed in industries involved in:

• Manufacture of vessels
• Structural steel fabrication
• General steel fabrication
• Truck body fabrication
• Heavy equipment repair

Employment prospects are dependent on seasonal and economic changes.

Experienced welders and wire process operators have opportunities to move into inspection or supervisory positions. Some welders open their own repair shops, or work as portable rig welders who contract out their services. Some wire process operators open their own manufacturing plants or production shops.

Industry Concentration

This section shows the industries where the majority of people in this occupation work. The data is based on the 2016 Census.

In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups.

In the 7237: Welders and related machine operators occupational group, 86.4% of people work in:

• Manufacturing
• Other Services
• Construction
• Mining and Oil and Gas Extraction

Employment Outlook

Employment outlook is influenced by a wide variety of factors including:

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Employment Outlook

Employment outlook is influenced by a wide variety of factors. Learn how these factors can affect your career decisions.

• Time of year (for seasonal jobs)
• Location in Alberta
• Employment turnover (when people leave existing positions)
• Occupational growth (when new positions are created)
• Size of the occupation
• Trends and events that affect overall employment, especially in the industry or industries from the previous list

In Alberta, the 7237: Welders and related machine operators occupational group is expected to have a below-average annual growth of 1.4% from 2019 to 2023. In addition to job openings created by employment turnover, 272 new positions are forecasted to be created within this occupational group each year.

Note
NOC groups often include several related occupations. Although there is labour market data for the larger NOC group, this occupation makes up only a part of that group. It means data for this occupation may be different than the data shown. For example, only some of the new positions to be created will be for this occupation. It also applies to other data for the NOC group such as number of people employed.

Source: 2019-2023 Alberta Regional Occupational Demand Outlook

Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next few years.

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