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Heavy Equipment Operators (Except Crane)  (NOC 7421)
Mauricie Region
Description |  Titles |  Duties |   Related Occupations

Heavy equipment operators operate heavy equipment used in the construction and maintenance of roads, bridges, airports, gas and oil pipelines, tunnels, buildings and other structures; in surface mining and quarrying activities; and in material handling work. They are employed by construction companies, heavy equipment contractors, public works departments and pipeline, logging, cargo-handling and other companies.

backhoe operator, bulldozer operator, excavator operator, gradall operator, grader operator, heavy equipment operator, heavy equipment operator apprentice, loader operator – construction, side boom tractor operator, surface mining equipment operator.

Heavy equipment operators perform some or all of the following duties:
  • Operate heavy equipment such as backhoes, bulldozers, loaders and graders to excavate, move, load and grade earth, rock, gravel or other materials during construction and related activities
  • Operate bulldozers or other heavy equipment to clear brush and stumps prior to logging activities and to build roads at logging and surface mining sites
  • Operate heavy equipment with pile driver head to drive piling into earth to provide support for buildings, bridges or other structures
  • Operate heavy dredging equipment to deepen waterways or reclaim earth fill
  • Operate heavy paving and surfacing equipment to lay, spread or compact concrete, asphalt and other surface materials during highway and road construction
  • Operate power shovels to excavate rock, ore or other materials from open-pit mines, strip mines, quarries or construction pits
  • Operate heavy equipment to move, load and unload cargo
  • Conduct pre-operational checks on equipment and clean, lubricate and refill equipment.
Included Cities in Region | Service Canada Offices

Trois-Rivières, Louiseville, Shawinigan, Grand-Mère, La Tuque, Sainte-Marthe-du-Cap, Saint-Louis-de-France, Saint-Tite, Shawinigan-Sud, Les Vieilles-Forges

View a list of Service Canada offices in this area.

Outlook & Prospects for Heavy Equipment Operators (Except Crane) in Mauricie Region

The future forecast and current conditions for an occupation can vary based on location or due to changes in the economy, technology, or demand for a product or service.

Local Employment Potential Information

Table on the employment potential for Heavy Equipment Operators (Except Crane) in Mauricie Region as well as in the rest of the Québec.
Location Employment Potential Release Date
Mauricie Region Fair 2012-12-06

For the 2012-2014 period, job opportunities in the Mauricie region are expected to be fair for this occupation.

There are approximately 700 jobs in this occupation in Mauricie, primarily in the construction industry. Wood product sector, primary metal processing manufacturing sector, services and primary sector provide proportionately fewer heavy equipment operators jobs.

In Mauricie, the construction industry is expected to offer good job opportunities, in spite of a possible downturn in the residential sector. Government roadwork and public infrastructure projects should maintain activity levels, and industrial and commercial construction should recover in a more favourable economic environment.

Unemployment in this occupation in Mauricie is high. Job opportunities will be generated primarily by the need to replace people who are retiring. The percentage of workers aged 55 and over is high, that is, 20% in comparison with 15% for all occupations in the region.

Self-employed workers represent 9.5% of the labour force, a few lesser percentage to what has been observed in Quebec as a whole (11%). Moreover, few women work as heavy equipment operators, that is, barely over 2%, and this holds for both Mauricie and the Province of Quebec.

Please consult the Québec and Canada tabs for more useful information related to outlook.