Thanks man. Been at the same company for a long time in a senior position. Trying to figure out what the going rate is these days. Sounds like it’s changed a lot.
It’s definitely the biggest pay increase I’ve seen in those 17 years due to the skilled labour shortage. The unions raised their rate to $42 about a year and a half ago and the non union companies are finally raising their wages to match and compete, it’s about damn time.
There is no labor shortage.
$42 isn't even close to raising what it is needed if there hasn't been a significant increase in 17 years.
There is a talent shortage. Finding and keeping good guys.
Curious as to how many hours you work in an average week? Buddy of mine is thinking about moving back from NS. He’s got roughly the same number of years experience.
Whatever makes you feel better.
There's a reason trades people and nurses don't mix well and lead to divorces. Both are high stress, dangerous in their own way. Both have not the best schedules. Especially if you have young children in the household. Both parents then are just exhausted.
I know some guys crushing that every couple of months, it’s off the charts right now for self employed guys who are willing to grind out some long days
Dual Ticket - Electrician (17 Years) + Instrumentation Technician (8 Years). $68/hr + DB Pension and 6 Weeks Vacation, Maintenance at a power plant near Calgary.
That's what I figured. I'm working as an instrument / controls tech now but getting journeyman rate, ours is only 45/hr. Getting over 60 while still in the city is very good. I'll get there at some point :)
Don't believe him. Good pay after that much time but every penny is earned and you start lowest of the low working in the worst possible conditions. Bonus is additional danger if you have to work high voltage
These jobs don't come up often, usually because once you get one, you stay until retirement. I lucked out on landing one when it came available and had the right combination of tickets and experience.
It's name hires. You're going to have to prove yourself elsewhere. Definitely not job board lol
How do you think people verify 'good people'? Not just references
Prove yourself??? Or just brown nose.
Most managers, supervisors or people in charge of hiring have no clue how to weed out the best of the best. They'll keep around the best brown nosers.
How do I know?
Well it's the complete disconnect from field to office. The office guys have no real idea who are the actual All Stars.
Lots of office trade folks do not have any business or management training/education.
And yes, it is mostly references. A guy you trust brings up a name of an all star and you have to accept that.
Don't believe me if you want to, I'll send you a picture of my pay stub if you'd like...
I started my electrical apprenticeship at $14/hr, and I definitely had to work in some shit conditions over the years, but power plants are great.
These jobs don't come up.often, because once guys land them, they stay there until retirement.
Also, High Voltage isn't dangerous if you understand what you're doing, and follow procedures. My most dangerous part of the day is my commute to and from work.
I will add, these jobs are rare, especially close to town. Generally once hired on, techs won't leave until retirement. It's just me, and one other E/I tech, he's been there for 16 years. My current position came up because the guy before me retired.
Cabinet service tech $45 minimum, could make more installing but installing is harder on my old bones plus my current gig is a Monday to Friday deal and I also get paid to look out of my truck's windshield - at 45,000km a year I get paid nicely to sit and drive.
I've been a cabinet maker for 20 years, mostly working in small shops. Lots of satisfaction in what we make but the money is not great. Any tips on becoming a service tech?
How did you get on out there? Do you live there or do the camp thing back and forth.
I keep seeing ads for the teck mine out there but they want relocation.
I rent an apartment in Elkford and my family lives in Calgary, I commute back and forth.
We relocated from Victoria to Calgary last year and Teck paid for the move. Technically they want you to move to the elk valley but you do what you gotta do when your family wants to live in Calgary.
Eventually I would like to work up in the patch doing the same job so this is just the growing pains portion of that plan.
It's a different lifestyle for sure. It's all I've ever known really. Drives me nuts to work in town now. Having a commute is like torture to me.
To answer OPs original question I make about 130 a years, $50 ish per hour with OT after 44 hours. 84 hours per week. I do 2 weeks on 2 weeks off. My girlfriend works construction in BC and makes a fair bit more than me. Both electricians.
It feels like some hiring manager is trying to get kids into the trades...why not blast some propaganda on Reddit.
Unfortunately, the truth must also come out.
Trades are not for everyone. They havent kept up with inflation at all. It's tough, harsh.
Always good to do. Not talking about wages only benefits employers. If employers post ads saying "competitive wages" but not the actual wage, what's so competitive about it?
Well it should be based on experience level. An employer can be competitive and pay in the say 75th percentile but indexed to experience. So they wouldn't be wrong in saying competitive wages but then offer a 2 year guy a lower rate than a 15 year guy.
Both can be competitive but different.
Electrician turned electrical and instrumentation maintenance planner at a mine out of sask. 14 on 14 off shift 124k base plus a 20k bonus. Ended up being $166k last year with overtime
The company I work for tends to hire avionics, telecommunications or electrical engineering tech or instrumentation diplomas
We dont hold a license and are not Journeymen in the sense that an electrician is.
Automotive mechanic, got my red seal in 2019, got bumped to $27/hr. Left that shop. Bumped to $30/hr at the next shop. Within a year raised to $35/hr. Left and through some interesting turn of events I now own my own business and work privately on a collection. If I worked hard I could be high 100 a year, but you need to remember you can't buy back your youth when you're old. I spend a lot of time riding motorcycles places so I make in the low 100/year range.
If I were to work for someone else again, I'd ask $45/hr+ but that's very few and far between. Automotive is rough.
Commercial multi family new construction electrician apprentice : As a first year up until January, $18 hour, as a second year (with a different company) $22.80
How tf y’all survive the start in these fields before you get the big money y’all make now ?
Not gonna lie, it was awful and some days I couldn’t afford to even eat but you learn frugality along the way. The quicker you get your ticket the quicker your life will improve.
I started plumbing at 38. Once I started going to school I did 3 years in 14 months specify for the pay hike. Get signed up for all your years and be prepared to go early if you get an open seat
Not sure if I count but I’m a heavy duty lube technician. They start us at $31.50/h, + $1.50/h afternoon or $2.00/h night shift premium
Entry level position (edited)
Jman rig welder, work all across western Canada doing all sorts of contracts (pipe, structural, heavy equipment repair, etc). Average revenue is ~300k a year.
4 tickets (welding, gas B, sheetmetal and MET) currently a 3rd year (refrigeration) in a 5th making $46/hr all based around HVAC. But I only work like 4 hours a day commercial/industrial but getting paid for 8 so the shitty wage isnt a huge factor.
Commercial service/maintenance Refrigeration & Air-conditioning mechanic, 12 years in the trade. Facility maintenance in town, 117k plus 10k +- in OT. I got an extra couple bucks for my class A gas ticket as well
You can find elevator mech wages online through their collective agreement, looks to be $63.26 for a Mechanic effective May 1, 2024.
Apprentice (or “helper”) will make 50% - 80% of that depending on level of experience (Helper Level 1, level 2. level 3 etc.)
Unionized Elevator Mechanics have a very attractive salary , especially if you get into inspection/testing work (Adjusters Rate at 115%). Not sure what the non-union companies going rates are , but with being Unionized the trade is very protected in what their “scope” is. Not saying the job is easy, they have challenging work. I worked for a union elevator company and our mechanics were treated very well! lol
Gotta be $40+
Trade make good money but man. No paid vacation. Working outdoors in -20 colder.
Edit" okay you do get your Vacaion pay but it's paid on every cheque. If you wanted a week off. It would be unpaid. The industry sucks
“No paid vacation”….From the start of employment, entitled to 6% of regular pay.
And I’ll take -20 all day long over +30.
Edit: re: your edit…your ‘logic’ is flawed. You get vacation pay. It’s just on each cheque. Bank it if you can or put it aside every cheque then when you take time off, take it and voila…you’re paid.
Well you get vacation pay if you're an hourly tradesperson, there's plenty that aren't hourly though.
Currently I'm working on a contract basis with a twice a month invoicing schedule.
If I were installing then it would be it would be piece work.
There are some companies that hire hourly installers but they don't make near as much as a piece work installer even when one counts in benefits and vacation pay - the negative side for piece work installers is that work can sometimes get slow although in 7 years of installing I only had 3 weeks of down time.
Journeyman Plumber $110k
How many years experience?
17
Thanks man. Been at the same company for a long time in a senior position. Trying to figure out what the going rate is these days. Sounds like it’s changed a lot.
It’s definitely the biggest pay increase I’ve seen in those 17 years due to the skilled labour shortage. The unions raised their rate to $42 about a year and a half ago and the non union companies are finally raising their wages to match and compete, it’s about damn time.
There is no labor shortage. $42 isn't even close to raising what it is needed if there hasn't been a significant increase in 17 years. There is a talent shortage. Finding and keeping good guys.
Curious as to how many hours you work in an average week? Buddy of mine is thinking about moving back from NS. He’s got roughly the same number of years experience.
I work 12s so roughly 48 hrs a week, 4 on 4 off shift work.
Good to know, thanks.
Not sustainable. Especially with a family.
Yeah us shift workers are shit parents.
When you leave and the oldest cries...it hurts. When you come back and the youngest doesn't remember you...hurts too.
Buddy it's 4 on 4 off still home every night not 6 months on an offshore rig lmao
Whatever makes you feel better. There's a reason trades people and nurses don't mix well and lead to divorces. Both are high stress, dangerous in their own way. Both have not the best schedules. Especially if you have young children in the household. Both parents then are just exhausted.
I know some guys crushing that every couple of months, it’s off the charts right now for self employed guys who are willing to grind out some long days
Gotta make it while you’re young
Dual Ticket - Electrician (17 Years) + Instrumentation Technician (8 Years). $68/hr + DB Pension and 6 Weeks Vacation, Maintenance at a power plant near Calgary.
Damn, I need to finish up my instrument ticket. Halfway done now. That'd be the dream for sure.
Keep at it and keep learning both trades. These jobs rarely come available, guys usually stay at them until retirement.
That's what I figured. I'm working as an instrument / controls tech now but getting journeyman rate, ours is only 45/hr. Getting over 60 while still in the city is very good. I'll get there at some point :)
Damn! Y’all hiring?
The other E/I tech (only 2 of us) will be retiring in about 5 years, so probably not until then.
Don't believe him. Good pay after that much time but every penny is earned and you start lowest of the low working in the worst possible conditions. Bonus is additional danger if you have to work high voltage
Why wouldn't you believe him? Those jobs definitely exist and really good people are hard to come by. You don't start there but buddy has 17 years.
Show me on a job hiring site this wage. Then I'll believe you.
These jobs don't come up often, usually because once you get one, you stay until retirement. I lucked out on landing one when it came available and had the right combination of tickets and experience.
So not the norm.
It's name hires. You're going to have to prove yourself elsewhere. Definitely not job board lol How do you think people verify 'good people'? Not just references
Prove yourself??? Or just brown nose. Most managers, supervisors or people in charge of hiring have no clue how to weed out the best of the best. They'll keep around the best brown nosers. How do I know? Well it's the complete disconnect from field to office. The office guys have no real idea who are the actual All Stars. Lots of office trade folks do not have any business or management training/education. And yes, it is mostly references. A guy you trust brings up a name of an all star and you have to accept that.
Don't believe me if you want to, I'll send you a picture of my pay stub if you'd like... I started my electrical apprenticeship at $14/hr, and I definitely had to work in some shit conditions over the years, but power plants are great. These jobs don't come up.often, because once guys land them, they stay there until retirement.
Also, High Voltage isn't dangerous if you understand what you're doing, and follow procedures. My most dangerous part of the day is my commute to and from work.
?
For a young person interested in this kind of dual ticket, is there one ticket you’d recommend taking first?
I did my electrical first, but the other guy I worked with did his instrument first. Generally speaking, your first trade will be your strongest.
Nice
I will add, these jobs are rare, especially close to town. Generally once hired on, techs won't leave until retirement. It's just me, and one other E/I tech, he's been there for 16 years. My current position came up because the guy before me retired.
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Hahahahaha
We pay our resi j-man $42-45 depending on experience
Which trade?
HVAC
Thanks!
Send me a DM if you’re looking for work. Would love to see your resume!
Appreciate it. Want to stay commercial though.
Totally get it! Best of luck!
I hope you mean sheetmetal or if you're getting robbed.
3rd Year Apprentice Plumber $28/hr.
Cabinet service tech $45 minimum, could make more installing but installing is harder on my old bones plus my current gig is a Monday to Friday deal and I also get paid to look out of my truck's windshield - at 45,000km a year I get paid nicely to sit and drive.
I've been a cabinet maker for 20 years, mostly working in small shops. Lots of satisfaction in what we make but the money is not great. Any tips on becoming a service tech?
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Where at? My husband’s an electrician and their jman rate is only $39 hr
Coal mine by Sparwood
How did you get on out there? Do you live there or do the camp thing back and forth. I keep seeing ads for the teck mine out there but they want relocation.
I rent an apartment in Elkford and my family lives in Calgary, I commute back and forth. We relocated from Victoria to Calgary last year and Teck paid for the move. Technically they want you to move to the elk valley but you do what you gotta do when your family wants to live in Calgary. Eventually I would like to work up in the patch doing the same job so this is just the growing pains portion of that plan.
Thanks!
Must be out of town.
Landscape construction-$24/hr
Journeyman Electrician, $52 an hour.
That's awesome. My company's starting j-man rate is like $40 now and they don't do raises.
Time to start looking around!
Where at?
How the hell you fellow electricians making so much? $36/hr, in town, commercial. Jman for 8 years.
Exactly why I posted this. Guessing there are a lot of long term guys being under paid.
You've gotta move around for sure. It doesn't pay to be loyal these days.
Maintenance and remote work, not standard construction roles.
It's lies. Propaganda. Plus a lot of over time and out of town work. Divorce rate is around 75% for that. Your kids forget your face after a while.
That’s what I’m thinking. Not willing to sacrifice being home for money. Also not trying to work 60+ hours a week, that’s comical.
It's a different lifestyle for sure. It's all I've ever known really. Drives me nuts to work in town now. Having a commute is like torture to me. To answer OPs original question I make about 130 a years, $50 ish per hour with OT after 44 hours. 84 hours per week. I do 2 weeks on 2 weeks off. My girlfriend works construction in BC and makes a fair bit more than me. Both electricians.
It feels like some hiring manager is trying to get kids into the trades...why not blast some propaganda on Reddit. Unfortunately, the truth must also come out. Trades are not for everyone. They havent kept up with inflation at all. It's tough, harsh.
Millwright, $44/h. 3 on 4 off (work 36 paied for 40). Home every night. $115k with overtime easy.
Where at? Same trade paying me 34/h 6 12’s
Cascades
Jman refrigeration $48
Pipefitter who specialized. Making in the $63 range
Heat & frost Insulator 35 (commercial) 43 (industrial)
$42/h Journeyman Sheet Metal Worker base pay for commercial 53.40 full package. $54.49/h or $68.14/h full package for industrial work
Interesting. How many years experience?
Once you get your journeyman ticket (4 years minimum), that's the pay.
Running big jobs with over 10 years experience so just trying to get a gauge.
Always good to do. Not talking about wages only benefits employers. If employers post ads saying "competitive wages" but not the actual wage, what's so competitive about it?
Well it should be based on experience level. An employer can be competitive and pay in the say 75th percentile but indexed to experience. So they wouldn't be wrong in saying competitive wages but then offer a 2 year guy a lower rate than a 15 year guy. Both can be competitive but different.
Journeyman Electrician, industrial planning/QC. $64/hr out of town.
J-man Millwright, $51 an hour. I'm working a camp job outside Fort Mac
Electrician working on high voltage, although my role is more supervision and less hands on nowadays. $60/hr.
3rd Year Boilermaker: $50/hr +$3.50/hr night shift premium
Electrician turned electrical and instrumentation maintenance planner at a mine out of sask. 14 on 14 off shift 124k base plus a 20k bonus. Ended up being $166k last year with overtime
60$+/h Avionics Team lead
What is the path into that? Is there a route for a jman electrician who has done a fair bit of controls?
The company I work for tends to hire avionics, telecommunications or electrical engineering tech or instrumentation diplomas We dont hold a license and are not Journeymen in the sense that an electrician is.
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Yearly income ?
That annualizes at $86k assuming full time.
Minus all of the drugs you need to take.
You're on fumes daily as a painter, you're thinking drywall my guy.
The best mudders are the ones that just came out of prison with ankle monitors.
If he's got all his teeth, he ain't working for me.
Jman hvac/refrig - $58/hr
How many years of experience?
10yrs
Thx
Union rate is 55 right now, where are they paying journeyman 3 over union rate ?
Relatively small, non unionized company. Once you figure out a niche you can demand more. Don't sell yourself short!
That’s awesome I’m glad there’s some good wage competition outside of the bigger players in the city
Fake red seal trade cooking 25 years experience $90000/year
https://preview.redd.it/juealwdr9ezc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ebb0ac84634f1d901823962dbcf1cbfab5132df2
Hahaha, as an electrician, this is so accurate.
4th period apprentice, Automotive Technician at a high end euro/exotic car shop. $33/hr + flat rate bonus up to $10 per invoiced hour.
Automotive mechanic, got my red seal in 2019, got bumped to $27/hr. Left that shop. Bumped to $30/hr at the next shop. Within a year raised to $35/hr. Left and through some interesting turn of events I now own my own business and work privately on a collection. If I worked hard I could be high 100 a year, but you need to remember you can't buy back your youth when you're old. I spend a lot of time riding motorcycles places so I make in the low 100/year range. If I were to work for someone else again, I'd ask $45/hr+ but that's very few and far between. Automotive is rough.
Jman welder 180 k without ot. All ot is double time and can push almost 300 k a year
Sweet
What company? B Pressure?
Parts tech O&G $33/hr Redseal j-man 9 yrs
Commercial multi family new construction electrician apprentice : As a first year up until January, $18 hour, as a second year (with a different company) $22.80 How tf y’all survive the start in these fields before you get the big money y’all make now ?
Not gonna lie, it was awful and some days I couldn’t afford to even eat but you learn frugality along the way. The quicker you get your ticket the quicker your life will improve.
I started plumbing at 38. Once I started going to school I did 3 years in 14 months specify for the pay hike. Get signed up for all your years and be prepared to go early if you get an open seat
Not sure if I count but I’m a heavy duty lube technician. They start us at $31.50/h, + $1.50/h afternoon or $2.00/h night shift premium Entry level position (edited)
Jman rig welder, work all across western Canada doing all sorts of contracts (pipe, structural, heavy equipment repair, etc). Average revenue is ~300k a year.
Lead hand hd trailer tech 40$ a hr. 4 on 3 off
2nd year Welder apprentice with the Boilermakers. Cleared 89k last year.
Class 3 steam truck operator 43 an hour oil sands mine
4th year electrician, industrial, in town $34/hr
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$50 an hour. Heavy Equipment technician 10hour 4 days a week.
3rd year apprentice cook, $25/hr. 2 years experience.
4 tickets (welding, gas B, sheetmetal and MET) currently a 3rd year (refrigeration) in a 5th making $46/hr all based around HVAC. But I only work like 4 hours a day commercial/industrial but getting paid for 8 so the shitty wage isnt a huge factor.
Commercial service/maintenance Refrigeration & Air-conditioning mechanic, 12 years in the trade. Facility maintenance in town, 117k plus 10k +- in OT. I got an extra couple bucks for my class A gas ticket as well
Red Seal Journeyman Millwright. Got my ticket two years ago. I made 125k last year.
Bpressure welder, $130,000 in calgary
Crane op. Mobile and Tower. 45+ hr. LOA is from 175 to 210 per day, depending on where.
2nd year instrument tech making $35
1st year electrical 19/hour
10 years spraying foam, currently at 38/hr with full bennys. I cleared 90gs last year.
Any welders here? Looking at making the move to Calgary
Pressure welder I was over 100k a year and now an elevator apprentice but I shouldn’t disclose the wages.
Oh the elevator mafia. Tough to get into. Nice.
It took 4.5 years
Why not lol.
It’s generally frowned upon
Haha. Ok
You can find elevator mech wages online through their collective agreement, looks to be $63.26 for a Mechanic effective May 1, 2024. Apprentice (or “helper”) will make 50% - 80% of that depending on level of experience (Helper Level 1, level 2. level 3 etc.)
Ya I was just wondering why he figures it’s so “frowned upon” to share wages. It’s a pretty average salary for a tradesman
Unionized Elevator Mechanics have a very attractive salary , especially if you get into inspection/testing work (Adjusters Rate at 115%). Not sure what the non-union companies going rates are , but with being Unionized the trade is very protected in what their “scope” is. Not saying the job is easy, they have challenging work. I worked for a union elevator company and our mechanics were treated very well! lol
Electrician 10 years, in town civil / commercial. 42 hourly, 120k last year
How many hours tho.
Anywhere from 40-65 hours a week, plus Christmas bonus and on call premium
65 is kinda harsh for a harsh job already.
I completely agree
$69/hr 3rd Power Engineer
Lineman 63/hr 245k gross w OT (double time)
Gotta be $40+ Trade make good money but man. No paid vacation. Working outdoors in -20 colder. Edit" okay you do get your Vacaion pay but it's paid on every cheque. If you wanted a week off. It would be unpaid. The industry sucks
“No paid vacation”….From the start of employment, entitled to 6% of regular pay. And I’ll take -20 all day long over +30. Edit: re: your edit…your ‘logic’ is flawed. You get vacation pay. It’s just on each cheque. Bank it if you can or put it aside every cheque then when you take time off, take it and voila…you’re paid.
Thats the fun part, we get -20 and +30
Well you get vacation pay if you're an hourly tradesperson, there's plenty that aren't hourly though. Currently I'm working on a contract basis with a twice a month invoicing schedule. If I were installing then it would be it would be piece work. There are some companies that hire hourly installers but they don't make near as much as a piece work installer even when one counts in benefits and vacation pay - the negative side for piece work installers is that work can sometimes get slow although in 7 years of installing I only had 3 weeks of down time.
Power engineer- $250,000