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  6. Public Works Maintenance Labourers

Exploring Trades and Occupations

Public Works Maintenance Labourers

On this page

  • Job description
  • Advancement and mobility
  • Hourly wage
  • Job prospects for 2024-2028
  • Sectors of activity
  • Training and requirements
  • Main skills and characteristics
  • Personality profiles (RIASEC)
  • Additional information

Job description

These individuals maintain public infrastructure (sidewalks, streets, roads, etc.).

Environment

  • Climatic conditions
  • Equipment, machinery, tools
  • Hazardous chemical
  • Odours
  • Nontoxic dust
  • Noise
  • Vibration

Main tasks

  • Clean and maintain municipal sidewalks, streets, roads, and public lands.
  • Sweep up garbage and load it into carts or trucks.
  • Clear streets, sidewalks, and building lots of snow and load snow into carts or trucks.
  • Spread sand or salt on sidewalks to melt snow and ice.
  • Load cement into a cement mixer.
  • Spread concrete and asphalt.
  • Dig ditches and trenches.
  • Load and unload material and equipment from trucks.
  • Collect money from parking meters.
  • Assist with routine maintenance and repair of equipment.
  • Help skilled workers such as carpenters, plumbers, and mechanics.

Advancement and mobility

  • Experience leads to senior or supervisory positions.

Hourly wage

The hourly wage is calculated by averaging wages from 2022 to 2024.
Minimum
$20.00
Median
$27.04
Maximum
$33.00

Job prospects for 2024-2028

Les 2 champs de sélection ci-dessous vous permettent de comparer 2 régions. Les données des régions seront automatiquement mises à jour à la sélection. Par défaut, la province de Québec est sélectionnée pour la première région.

Job prospects for 2024-2028

Job prospects

All of Québec

Non available
Limited
Good
Very good
Good

All of Québec

Non available
Limited
Good
Very good
Non available

Total jobs for 2023

All of Québec

11,000

All of Québec

na

Gender distribution

All of Québec

Not available.
7.2% Female
92.8% Male

Not available.
  • 7.2% Female
  • 92.8% Male

Job types

All of Québec

Not available.
Full time
Part time

Not available.
  • Full time
  • Part time

Yearly wage on 2020

All of Québec

$57,200

All of Québec

Other characteristics

All of Québec

  • Non traditional for women
  • None

All of Québec

  • Non traditional for women
  • None

Sectors of activity

All of Québec

Not available.
  1. Public Administration
    NAICS 91
    66% of jobs
  2. Business, building and other support services
    NAICS 55, 56
    10% of jobs
  3. Transportation and Warehousing
    NAICS 48, 49
    6% of jobs
  4. Construction
    NAICS 23
    4% of jobs
  5. Utilities
    NAICS 22
    2% of jobs
  6. Others
    12% of jobs

All of Québec

Not available.
  1. Public Administration
    NAICS 91
    66% of jobs
  2. Business, building and other support services
    NAICS 55, 56
    10% of jobs
  3. Transportation and Warehousing
    NAICS 48, 49
    6% of jobs
  4. Construction
    NAICS 23
    4% of jobs
  5. Utilities
    NAICS 22
    2% of jobs
  6. Others
    12% of jobs

Training and requirements

Formation

No specific training

Main skills and characteristics

Skills

  • Data collection
  • Operations and control
  • Coordination
  • Equipment maintenance
  • Oral expression
  • Critical thought
  • Monitoring operations
More Less skills

Abilities

  • Limb coordination
  • Near vision
  • Oral comprehension
  • Response orientation
  • Manual dexterity
  • Static muscle power
  • Verbal skills
  • Control accuracy
  • Hand-arm stability
  • Reaction time
  • Speech clarity
  • Classification
  • Digital dexterity
  • Core strength
  • Information organization
  • Colour perception and distinction
  • Deductive reasoning
  • Inductive reasoning
  • Speech recognition
  • Awareness of issues
  • Physical flexibility in extension
  • Distance vision
More Less abilities

Knowledge and attributes

  • Focussed on results
  • Capacity to adapt
  • Capacity to work in a team
  • Respect standards and regulations
  • Assiduity and punctuality
  • Commitment to quality
  • Availability
  • Knowledge of buildings and construction
  • Tolerance to routine work
  • Timeliness

Interests

  • Work manually
  • Exercer une activité sportive ou physique
  • Work outdoors

Personality profiles (RIASEC)

Realistic
People with this profile prefer carrying out concrete tasks and being physically involved in what they do.
Conventional
People with this profile prefer specific, well-defined tasks. They like to respect the order of things and follow established rules.
Investigative
People with this profile prefer relying on theoretical knowledge before acting. They like observation, analysis and problem solving.
Additional information

Official name of the NOC 75212

Public works and maintenance labourers

Job titles

  • Municipal elemental worker
  • Labourer - sanitary service
  • Public works labourer
  • Municipal general labourer
  • Road maintenance worker
  • Helper - garbage collection
  • Manual street cleaner
  • Labourer crew leader - public works
  • Sidewalk snowplow operator
  • Sidewalk-cleaning equipment operator
  • Line-painting machine operator - highways and roads
  • Garbage collector
  • Garbage receptacle maintainer
  • Sanitation man/woman
  • Maintenance labourer - public works
  • General labourer - public works
  • Manual sidewalk cleaner
  • Manual sewer pipe cleaner
  • Sidewalk cleaner
  • Casual worker - public works
  • Seasonal worker - public works
  • Sewer maintenance worker
  • Road maintenance worker - public works
  • Sewer system maintenance worker
  • Playground maintenance man/woman
  • Garbage truck loader
  • Dumpman/woman
  • Parking meter collector
  • Highway line painter
More Less job titles

Skill type

Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations

Related occupations

  • Construction trades helpers and labourers
  • Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews
  • Landscaping and grounds maintenance labourers
  • Public works maintenance equipment operators and related workers
  • Railway and motor transport labourers

See also

  • Glossary (PDF 229 Kb)
  • Québec emploi

See also

Non traditional

Hats Off to You!

Last update: January 29, 2026

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