National Outlook – 10-Year Projection (2011-2020)

This section provides labour demand and labour supply projections for this occupation over the 2011-2020 period.

Note: The tables, graphs and middle paragraph shown under this section display updated 2011-2020 projection results. The remaining narrative text (2009-2018 projections) will be updated shortly. We apologize for the inconvenience.

The data in the following table are derived from HRSDC’s Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS). COPS uses a variety of models to produce a detailed 10-year labour market projection per broad skill level and per occupation at the national level, which focuses on the trends of labour supply and labour demand over the next ten years.

This occupation (Mechanical Engineers) is part of a larger occupational group called Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Chemical Engineers (NOC 213).

Occupation Projection for Canada

Over the 2008-2010 period, this occupation experienced a slight drop in employment and an increase in its unemployment rate because of the 2008-2009 recession. The average hourly wage did not increase much over this period. According to key labour market indicators, the number of job seekers was sufficient to fill all job openings.

Over the 2011-2020 period, an occupation will be in excess demand (a shortage of workers) if the projected number of job openings is significantly greater than the projected number of job seekers. An occupation will be in excess supply (a surplus of workers) if the projected number of job openings is smaller than the projected number of job seekers. For Civil, Mechanical, Electrical And Chemical Engineers, over the 2011-2020 period, job openings (arising from expansion demand and replacement demand) are expected to total 60,436 and 71,768 job seekers (arising from school leavers, immigration and mobility) are expected to be available to fill the job openings.

Based on projections and considering that labour supply and demand in this occupation were balanced, it is expected that the number of job seekers will be sufficient to fill all job openings over the 2011-2020 period. The number of job openings resulting from retirement and employment growth will be about equal. The number of retirements over the 2011-2020 period will be high, but the retirement rate will be slightly lower than the average retirement rate for the economy because the workers are older than the average but generally retire at the same age as other workers. Employment growth will be strong because of investments in infrastructure programs and the transition to a knowledge-based economy. With regard to labour supply, a large majority of job seekers will come directly from the school system and the number of school leavers seeking employment in this occupation will be greater than over the 2001-2010 period. Immigrants will also be a major source of supply in this occupation. A large number of immigrants are entering this occupation because of Canada's immigration policy, which targets high-skilled candidates, and because knowledge and experience gained abroad in engineering are more easily transferable from one country to another.

This Chart contains data for Projection of Job Openings vs. Job Seekers for Canada. Information is available in the following tables.

In which industry or sector do people in this occupation find jobs in Canada?

This table shows the industry and sectors employing the highest number of people in this occupation.

What percentage of people in this occupation are self-employed?

The graph displays the percentage of people in this occupation who are “self-employed”, according to the 2006 Census, in comparison to the Canadian average across all occupations.

As shown in the graph, according to the 2006 Census, 10% of people in this occupation were self-employed, while the average for all occupations was 12%.

The Labour Force Survey also gives us some information about self-employment. This occupation (Mechanical Engineers) is part of a larger group called Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Chemical Engineers (NOC 213). According to the Labour Force Survey (2009), 14% of workers in this group were self-employed, while the average for all occupations was 16%.

What percentage of people in this occupation are members of a union?

This occupation (Mechanical Engineers) is part of a larger group called Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Chemical Engineers (NOC 213). According to the Labour Force Survey (2009), the unionization rate for this group was 19%, while the unionization rate for all occupations was 31%.