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  5. Welders and Welding Machine Operators

Exploring Trades and Occupations

Welders and Welding Machine Operators

On this page

  • Job description
  • Advancement and mobility
  • Hourly wage
  • Job prospects for 2022-2026
  • Sectors of activity
  • Training and requirements
  • Main skills and characteristics
  • Personality profiles (RIASEC)
  • Additional information

Job description

These individuals weld, braze, or modify metal parts. They are self-employed or work for:

  • Manufacturers of structural steel and sheet metal components
  • Boiler, heavy machinery, and metal product manufacturers
  • Transportation equipment manufacturers
  • Manufacturers of other types of machines
  • Welding contractors
  • Welding workshops
  • The construction sector

Environment

  • Controlled ambient temperature
  • Climatic conditions
  • Equipment, machinery, tools
  • Hazardous chemical
  • Odours
  • Nontoxic dust
  • Radiation
  • Uncontrolled ambient temperature
  • Noise
  • Fire, steam, hot surfaces
  • Electricity
  • Falling objects

Main tasks

Welders

  • Operate thermal welding and cutting equipment.
  • Assemble metal products by thermal process.
  • Cut and form metals.
  • Repair metal parts

Welding and Brazing Machine Operators

  • Read and interpret welding drawings or technical specifications.
  • Operate welding and brazing equipment.
  • Manufacture, repair, and bond metal components.
  • Start, adjust, and monitor robotic welding equipment.
  • Participate in the maintenance and repair of welding and brazing machines.
  • Adjust, as required, welding heads and machine tools according to technical specifications.

Advancement and mobility

  • Welders may specialize in various types of welding (custom fabrication, ship construction and repair, pipeline construction, etc.).
  • Experience leads to supervisory positions.
  • Qualified Welders receive a Red Seal endorsement upon successful completion of the Interprovincial Examination.
  • Additional qualifications may be obtained from the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB).

Hourly wage

The hourly wage is calculated by averaging wages from 2019 to 2021.
Minimum
$18.00
Median
$24.00
Maximum
$38.00

Job prospects for 2022-2026

sr.comparaison-region.titre

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 2022-2026

Job prospects

All of Québec

Non available
Limited
Good
Very good
Very good

All of Québec

Non available
Limited
Good
Very good
Non available

Total jobs for 2021

All of Québec

21,000

All of Québec

na

Gender distribution

All of Québec

Not available.
3.8% Female
96.2% Male

Not available.
  • 3.8% Female
  • 96.2% Male

Job types

All of Québec

Not available.
Full time
Part time

Not available.
  • Full time
  • Part time

Yearly wage on 2015

All of Québec

$44,000

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. Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
    NAICS 332
    23% of jobs
  2. Other Services (except Public Administration)
    NAICS 81
    20% of jobs
  3. Machinery Manufacturing
    NAICS 333
    12% of jobs
  4. Other Transportation Equipment
    NAICS 336 [excluding 3364]
    9% of jobs
  5. Construction
    NAICS 23
    8% of jobs
  6. Others
    28% of jobs

All of Québec

Not available.
  1. Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
    NAICS 332
    23% of jobs
  2. Other Services (except Public Administration)
    NAICS 81
    20% of jobs
  3. Machinery Manufacturing
    NAICS 333
    12% of jobs
  4. Other Transportation Equipment
    NAICS 336 [excluding 3364]
    9% of jobs
  5. Construction
    NAICS 23
    8% of jobs
  6. Others
    28% of jobs

Training and requirements

Formation

Most training programs are offered in French only.

Secondary

AVS in high-Pressure Welding This hyperlink will open in a new window.
Code : 5734
More on graduates’ employment situation
AVS in soudage haute pression This hyperlink will open in a new window.
Code : 5234

Placement rate: 84.9%

7.9% of graduates pursue further studies

More on graduates’ employment situation
STC in soudage semi-automatique GMAW et FCAW This hyperlink will open in a new window.
Code : 4250
DVS in soudage-assemblage (Nouvelle version) This hyperlink will open in a new window.
Code : 5382
DVS in soudage-montage This hyperlink will open in a new window.
Code : 5195

Placement rate: 80.2%

14.9% of graduates pursue further studies

More on graduates’ employment situation
DVS in welding and Fitting This hyperlink will open in a new window.
Code : 5695
More on graduates’ employment situation

Also required

  • Certificate of competence.

Sometimes required

Welding and Brazing Machine Operators

  • Experience as an apprentice machine operator may be required.
  • Experience in robotics may be required.

Main skills and characteristics

Skills

  • Data collection
  • Information processing
  • Operations and control
  • Critical thought
  • Reading comprehension
  • Result evaluation
More Less skills

Abilities

  • Hand-arm stability
  • Near vision
  • Limb coordination
  • Control accuracy
  • Awareness of issues
  • Visualization
  • Manual dexterity
  • Selective attention
  • Static muscle power
  • Information organization
  • Depth perception
  • Oral comprehension
  • Digital dexterity
  • Core strength
  • Verbal skills
  • Deductive reasoning
  • Speech recognition
More Less abilities

Knowledge and attributes

  • Focussed on results
  • Sense of responsibility
  • Capacity to work in a team
  • Rigour
  • Sense of initiative
  • Attention to detail
  • Respect standards and regulations
  • Desire to upgrade one’s competencies
  • Commitment to quality
  • Patience

Interests

  • Make, build, install
  • Work manually

Personality profiles (RIASEC)

Realistic
People with this profile prefer carrying out concrete tasks and being physically involved in what they do.
Investigative
People with this profile prefer relying on theoretical knowledge before acting. They like observation, analysis and problem solving.
Social
People with this profile prefer to be in contact with others, in particular to entertain, help or teach them.
Additional information

Note about CNP

Occupational information is provided based on the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2016. The 5-digit code of the NOC 2021 is shown in parentheses for information purposes only for occupations that correspond to those of NOC 2016.

Official name of the NOC 7237 (72106)

Welders and related machine operators

Job titles

  • Pipe Welders
  • Welder-Assemblers
  • Welders
  • Welder-assembler
  • Welder-fitter
  • Brazer
  • Machine operator - welding, brazing and soldering
  • Welder apprentice
  • Assembler tack welder
  • Production induction brazier
  • Torch brazer
  • Iron brazer
  • Furnace brazer
  • Hydrogen braze furnace man/woman
  • Gas brazer
  • Lead welder
  • Resistance brazer
  • Metal brazier and heater
  • Brazer and hammerer
  • Journeyman/woman welder
  • Blowtorch operator
  • Hydrogen braze furnace operator
  • Soldering machine operator
  • Brazing machine operator
  • Flame-brazing machine operator
  • Induction brazer operator
  • Welding machine operator
  • Gas-shielded arc welding machine operator
  • Laser welding operator
  • Automatic welding machine operator
  • Automated welding machine operator - flash butt process
  • Battery lead-burner operator
  • Submerged arc welding machine operator
  • Mesh-welding machine operator
  • Electric spot-welding machine operator
  • Laser beam machine-welder operator
  • Laser beam welding machine operator
  • Type-soldering machine tender
  • Side seaming tender
  • Resistance welder tender
  • Electric spot welder
  • Solderer
  • Production line solderer
  • Furnace solderer
  • Auto body solderer
  • Solderer-dipper
  • Induction solderer
  • Downhand welder - pipeline
  • Metal solderer
  • Metal straightener and heater
  • Brazing machine setter
  • Torch brazing machine setter
  • Flame-brazing machine setter
  • Resistance welding set-up man/woman
  • General welder
  • Industrial welder
  • Hand arc welder
  • Hand electric arc welder
  • Production line welder
  • Machine welder
  • Portable spot welder
  • Thermite welder
  • Acetylene welder
  • Arc welder
  • Arc welder - pipeline
  • Shielded-metal arc welder
  • Electric arc welder
  • Heliarc welder
  • Gas-shielded arc welder
  • Metal inert gas (mig) welder
  • Submerged arc welder
  • Tungsten inert gas (tig) welder
  • Maintenance welder
  • Oxyacetylene welder
  • Oxyhydrogen welder
  • Torch welder
  • Oxyacetylene torch welder
  • Gas welder
  • Hot gas welder
  • Gas and arc welder
  • Production welder
  • Lead burner
  • Battery lead burner
  • Aircraft welder
  • Rig welder
  • Cable welder
  • Boiler welder
  • Fabrication welder
  • Wire welder
  • Metal welder
  • Pipeline welder
  • Drilling platform welder
  • Precision welder
  • Pressure vessel welder
  • Drilling rig welder
  • Tool and die welder
  • Flash butt welder
  • Laser beam welder
  • Dielectric welder
  • Spot welder
  • Production line spot welder
  • Production spot welder
  • Combination welder
  • Radio-frequency welder
  • Resistance welder
  • Hand resistance welder
  • Resistance seam welder
  • Spot resistance welder
  • Vibration welder
  • Jig welder-fitter
  • Resistance welder-setter
  • Aviation welding technician
  • Welding lay-out man/woman
More Less job titles

Skill type

Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations

WAP

This occupation is targeted by Workplace Apprenticeship Programs

  • Welder-fitter This hyperlink will open in a new window.
  • Welder This hyperlink will open in a new window.

Related occupations

  • Contractors and supervisors, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations
  • Electronics assemblers, fabricators, inspectors and testers
  • Geological and mineral technologists and technicians

See also

  • Glossary (PDF 229 Kb)
  • Québec emploi This hyperlink will open in a new window.

See also

Non traditional

Hats Off to You!

Last update: March 27, 2023

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