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  5. Crane Operators

Exploring Trades and Occupations

Crane Operators

On this page

  • Job description
  • Advancement and mobility
  • Hourly wage
  • Job prospects for 2021-2025
  • Sectors of activity
  • Training and requirements
  • Main skills and characteristics
  • Personality profiles (RIASEC)
  • Additional information

Job description

These individuals operate cranes or excavators. They lift, move, and set up machinery, equipment, and other large objects. They work for:

  • Construction sites
  • Ports
  • Stations
  • Surface mines

Environment

  • Equipment, machinery, tools
  • Vehicle or passenger compartment
  • Hazardous workplaces
  • Noise

Main tasks

  • Carry out inspections before executing work.
  • Calculate crane capacity in preparation for hitching and lifting.
  • Operate equipment used for various purposes (driving piles into the ground, loading and unloading vessels, moving objects and materials, etc.).

Advancement and mobility

  • Qualified Self-Propelled and Tower Crane Operators obtain a Red Seal endorsement upon successful completion of the Interprovincial Standards Examination.
  • Experience leads to supervisory positions.

Hourly wage

The hourly wage is calculated by averaging wages from 2019 to 2021.
Minimum
$20.75
Median
$30.00
Maximum
$44.00

Job prospects for 2021-2025

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 2021-2025

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 2020

All of Québec

2,500

All of Québec

na

Gender distribution

All of Québec

Not available.
1.6% Female
98.4% Male

Not available.
  • 1.6% Female
  • 98.4% 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

$73,000

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. Construction
    NAICS 23
    41% of jobs
  2. Primary Metal Manufacturing
    NAICS 331
    17% of jobs
  3. Wholesale Trade
    NAICS 41
    9% of jobs
  4. Transportation and Warehousing
    NAICS 48, 49
    6% of jobs
  5. Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
    NAICS 53
    6% of jobs
  6. Others
    21% of jobs

All of Québec

Not available.
  1. Construction
    NAICS 23
    41% of jobs
  2. Primary Metal Manufacturing
    NAICS 331
    17% of jobs
  3. Wholesale Trade
    NAICS 41
    9% of jobs
  4. Transportation and Warehousing
    NAICS 48, 49
    6% of jobs
  5. Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
    NAICS 53
    6% of jobs
  6. Others
    21% of jobs

Training and requirements

Formation

Most training programs are offered in French only.

Secondary

DVS in conduite de grues This hyperlink will open in a new window.
Code : 5248

Placement rate: 81.2%

2.3% of graduates pursue further studies

More on graduates’ employment situation

Also required

  • Certificate of qualification.

Sometimes required

  • A Class 1 driver’s licence may be required for driving on public roads.

Main skills and characteristics

Skills

  • Data collection
  • Operations and control
  • Monitoring operations
  • Critical thought
  • Information processing
  • Active listening
  • Result evaluation
  • Reading comprehension
  • Oral expression
  • Time management
  • Judgment and decision-making
More Less skills

Abilities

  • Control accuracy
  • Limb coordination
  • Depth perception
  • Distance vision
  • Speed control
  • Reaction time
  • Awareness of issues
  • Hand-arm stability
  • Selective attention
  • Manual dexterity
  • Response orientation
  • Near vision
  • Verbal skills
  • Speech clarity
  • Oral comprehension
  • Colour perception and distinction
  • Perception speed
  • Speech recognition
  • Visualization
  • Digital dexterity
  • Information organization
  • Spatial orientation
  • Time sharing
  • Deductive reasoning
  • Tolerance to bright light
More Less abilities

Knowledge and attributes

  • Critical thinking
  • Autonomy
  • Sense of responsibility
  • Capacity to work in a team
  • Rigour
  • Attention to detail
  • Respect standards and regulations
  • Sense of observation
  • Knowledge of buildings and construction
  • Patience

Interests

  • Work in transportation and maintenance
  • Work manually
  • 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.
Enterprising
People with this profile prefer having responsibilities, influencing others and responding to challenges.
Additional information

Official name of the NOC 7371

Crane operators

Job titles

  • Dragline crane operator
  • Wrecking crane operator
  • Construction crane operator
  • Crane operator
  • Crane hoist operator
  • Crane operator apprentice
  • Mobile crane apprentice operator
  • Tractor crane operator
  • Electric dragline operator
  • Floating crane operator
  • Mobile crane operator
  • Truck crane operator
  • Crawler crane operator
  • Monorail crane operator
  • Electric monorail crane operator
  • Locomotive craneman
  • Walking bridge crane operator
  • Bridge crane operator
  • Pile driving crane operator
  • Cinder crane operator
  • Hot metal crane operator
  • Drilling rig crane operator
  • Crane and hoisting equipment operator
  • Railway car puller - crane
  • Rigger (except shipbuilding and aircraft assembly)
  • Climbing crane operator
  • Boom crane operator
  • Boom truck crane operator
  • Gantry crane operator
  • Electric gantry crane operator
  • Cantilever crane operator
  • Tower crane operator
  • Climbing tower crane operator
  • Ship crane operator
  • Electric crane operator
  • Mechanical hoist operator
  • Electrical equipment operator - derrick
  • Hoist operator - foundry
  • Hoist operator (except underground mining)
  • Boom truck hoist operator
  • Ladle crane operator
  • Skip operator
More Less job titles

Skill type

Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations

Related occupations

  • Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews
  • Heavy equipment operators (except crane)
  • Underground production and development miners

See also

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

See also

Non traditional

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Last update: July 4, 2022

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