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13 Carpentry Statistics and Trends In Canada: Updated In 2024

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Note: This article’s statistics come from third-party sources and do not represent the opinions of this website.

Carpentry is a professional trade that has been around for thousands of years. It is an integral part of almost every building project in the world. With such a long pedigree and an important part of the modern job landscape, how do carpenters fare in Canada? Canada has a long tradition of keeping meticulous notes and statistics about its population and labor force, which makes obtaining meaningful data and statistics a breeze. Using Canada’s detailed databases, we have compiled a list of relevant statistics and trends for carpentry in Canada this year.

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The 13 Carpentry Statistics In Canada

  1. There were 126,400 carpenters employed in Canada as of 2018.
  2. The median age of a carpenter in Canada is 38.7 years old.
  3. The median retirement age for a carpenter in Canada is 64 years old.
  4. The median hourly wage for carpenters in Canada is $30 an hour.
  5. The highest hourly wage for carpenters in Canada is found in the Northwest Territories, with a wage of $66.39, which is an outlier.
  6. The lowest hourly wage for carpenters in Canada is found in Prince Edward Island, with a wage of $15 an hour.
  7. Carpenters in Canada need to finish secondary school or complete a three- or four-year apprenticeship.
  8. Carpenters are a regulated profession in every province except for the Yukon.
  9. The professional job outlook for carpenters in Canada is considered balanced, meaning it is not in demand or out of demand.
  10. Job prospects are considered “Good” in six out of thirteen Canadian territories for carpenters.
  11. None of the thirteen tracked Canadian territories offer “Very Good” job prospects for carpenters.
  12. Three out of thirteen territories have projected “Limited” or “Very Limited” prospects for carpenters in Canada.
  13. There are currently around 1,500 open carpenter jobs in Canada, according to the official Canada job board.
CANADIAN_CARPENTRY_STATISTICS_&_TRENDS
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General Carpenter Statistics

1. There were 126,400 carpenters employed in Canada as of 2018

(Canadian Occupational Projection System)

The last complete survey by the Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) was completed in 2018, before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the last survey, there were over 125,000 carpenters employed in Canada. However, those numbers have likely changed thanks to the results of the pandemic. The number of active carpenters likely dipped during the peak of the pandemic. Those numbers have likely started to rebound, but there is no official data regarding the current number of employed carpenters in Canada.

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2. The median age of a carpenter in Canada is 38.7 years old

(Canadian Occupational Projection System)

The median age of a carpenter in Canada is 38.7 years old. That is younger than that of the United States, which has an average age of carpenters of 42 years old. The average age of carpenters in Canada is fairly young, which shows that a good number of younger Canadians continue to enter the field. Other construction fields have seen their average age start to rise slowly over the past decade as fewer young people enter the workforce in these types of positions.


3. The median retirement age for a carpenter in Canada is 64 years old

(Canadian Occupational Projection System)

The median retirement age of a Canadian carpenter is 64 years old, which is the average retirement age overall. This means that carpenters are able to retire in a reasonable amount of time which shows the stability of their jobs and their ability to save for retirement. Jobs with an above-average retirement age often show a lack of stability or lack of ability to save before retirement. Carpenters in Canada do not have this problem.

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divider 4 Carpenter Pay in Canada

4. The median hourly wage for carpenters in Canada is $30 an hour

(Prevailing Wages in Canada)

The median hourly wage for Canadian carpenters is $30 an hour, which is just slightly below average for all professional Canadians. Canada has seen a sharp rise in hourly wages since 2010. Today, the average hourly wage for a Canadian is $31 per hour. That leaves carpenters just slightly below average compared to the national average. In some areas, carpenters make above-average wages, but in other areas, carpenters consistently make below-average wages. Geographic location can have a strong effect on your overall wages as a carpenter in Canada.


5. The highest hourly wage for carpenters in Canada is found in the Northwest Territories, with a wage of $66.39, which is an outlier

(Prevailing Wages in Canada)

According to the Prevailing Wages database, the Northwest Territories pay their carpenters an average wage of $66.39 per hour. That is the highest in the nation and is a considerable outlier. The second-highest wage tier has carpenters making around $40 an hour. This outlier can be due to a general lack of good carpenters in this province, leading to inflated wages, or the general lack of demand for carpenter services leading to a smaller-than-average job pool. This number is most definitely an outlier whose exact causes are hard to parse from the data alone.

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6. The lowest hourly wage for carpenters in Canada is found in Prince Edward Island, with a wage of $15 an hour

(Prevailing Wages in Canada)

The median low hourly wage for carpenters is the lowest in Prince Edward Island. Prince Edward Island’s lowest paid carpenters only make $15 an hour, which is far below the national average and lower than most other novice carpenters in Canada. This could be due to the fact that Prince Edward Island generally has a lower average cost of living than other Canadian provinces. Still, novice carpenters with little experience can expect to bring in far less than other carpenters in Canada if they are practicing in Prince Edward Island.

Prince Edward island
Image Credit: Brigitte Werner, Pixabay

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Carpenter Job Requirements

7. Carpenters in Canada need to finish secondary school or complete a three- or four-year apprenticeship

(Professional Certification and Licensing)

In the United States, carpenters work under a general contracting license, but certain carpentry work can often fall into a gray area of licensing. That is not the case in Canada. In Canada, carpenters must complete either a college program or a three- or four-year apprenticeship in order to become licensed. Carpenters in the United States can start working straight out of high school and often under someone else’s license. That makes the requirement for Canadian carpenters stricter than they are for American carpenters.


8. Carpenters are a regulated profession in every province except for the Yukon

(Professional Certification and Licensing)

According to the official board of certification and licensing, carpenters in Canada must be licensed in every province except for the Yukon. Carpenters in the Yukon have greater leeway in terms of licensing and regulation than in other provinces. That is likely due to the general lack of workers in this province compared to others. Yukon only has a population of 42,000 people which is extremely small.

Carpenter Cutting House Roof Supports On Building Site
Image Credit: Monkey Business Images, Shutterstock

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Carpenter Job Prospects

9. The professional job outlook for carpenters in Canada is considered balanced, meaning it is not in demand or out of demand

(Canadian Occupational Projection System)

A balanced professional outlook means that there is no projected excess or shortage of workers in the near future. A balanced outlook means that there is roughly the same number of jobs available as there are workers. This means that an equal number of people are entering the profession to balance out those who are leaving the profession due to things like emigration and retirement. Unless something like a building boom or severe economic downturn unexpectedly comes, this profession should remain balanced for the foreseeable future.


10. Job prospects are considered “Good” in six out of thirteen Canadian territories for carpenters

(Canada Job Bank)

This balance is reflected in the job prospect outlook for Canadian provinces which is also balanced. Just under half of all territories have “Good” job prospects for carpenters, which is rated as a 4/5 rating for prospective workers. The lowest rating is “Very Limited”, and the highest rating is “Very Good”. That means that many Canadian carpenters will have good prospects of finding stable jobs throughout Canada.

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11. None of the thirteen tracked Canadian territories offer “Very Good” job prospects for carpenters

(Canada Job Bank)

Despite a generally positive job outlook for many provinces, none of the provinces boasted a “Very Good” job prospect rating for carpenters. This reflects the balanced nature of the job market. Many places have good prospects, but none of them take top marks for the best opportunities for carpenters.


12. Three out of thirteen territories have projected “Limited” or “Very Limited” prospects for carpenters in Canada

(Canada Job Bank)

Three out of the thirteen provinces in Canada were rated with “Limited” or “Very Limited” prospects for carpenters. These provinces include Nunavut, British Columbia, and Quebec. British Columbia and Quebec are two of Canada’s most populous and wealthy provinces, so it is surprising that they have limited job opportunities for carpenters compared to other provinces in Canada. That is something to be aware of when considering a career in carpentry.

Roofer, carpenter working on roof structure on construction site
Image Credit: sculpies, Shutterstock

13. There are currently around 1,500 open carpenter jobs in Canada, according to the official Canada job board

(Canada Carpenter Available Jobs)

According to Canada’s official job board, an active listing that is maintained by the government, there are 1,458 open carpenter jobs posted. This, by no means, reflects every job opening in Canada for this field, but it gives you a general idea of how many places are looking for carpenters right now. British Columbia had the highest number of openings, with 724, followed by Ontario, with 290. Some provinces had just 1 or 2 jobs listed on the site at the time of writing.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Carpentry in Canada

Are Carpenter Jobs In High Demand in Canada?

No. The demand for carpenter jobs in Canada is considered balanced. That means there are enough openings and professionals to balance each other out. High-demand jobs often come with inflated wages and many different opportunities. Carpenters have a standard amount of opportunities and an average wage. A carpenter will likely not struggle to find a job in Canada, but it will not be exceedingly easy or pay an above-average amount.

Carpenter cutting wood with circular power saw in building construction site interior
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Do Carpenters Make Good Money in Canada?

Carpenters in Canada make an average amount of money. Carpenters do not beat the national average, nor are they far below the national average. Some areas have carpenters that make $10 an hour above the national average, and some places have carpenters that make half the national average. The exact pay is determined by geographic location and the local cost of living expenses that typical professionals are subjected to. However, carpenters do retire on time in Canada, which shows that they make enough money to retire at a reasonable age and do not have to work long past the age of 64.

Where Do Carpenters Make the Most Money in Canada?

Carpenters make the most money in Ontario, Northwest Territories, and Yukon based on the median hourly wage. For places like Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut, carpenters often make more money because they are in higher demand due to lower populations. Northwest Territories boasts the highest upper-tier wage in Canada and one of the highest overall median hourly wages in Canada for carpenters. However, the population of this province is just 44,000 people.

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Conclusion

Carpenters make a good living for themselves in Canada. It is a stable profession with decent money and solid prospects. Carpenters have plenty of job opportunities to explore and are able to retire at a reasonable age across Canada. Some areas pay carpenters better than others, and some more remote provinces have better job prospects than more populated areas. Still, overall, it is a good profession with stable trends across the country.


Featured Image Credit: Dzhafarov Eduard, Shutterstock

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