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Industrial Engineering and Manufacturing Technologists and Technicians  (NOC 2233)
Lower Mainland - Southwest Region
Description |  Titles |  Duties |   Related Occupations

Industrial engineering and manufacturing technologists and technicians may work independently or provide technical support and services in the development of production methods, facilities and systems, and the planning, estimating, measuring and scheduling of work. They are employed by manufacturing and insurance companies, government departments, and establishments in other industries.

CAD/CAM programmer, industrial engineering technician, industrial engineering technologist, loss prevention technologist, manufacturing technician, manufacturing technologist, planning technician, plastics manufacturing technician, pulp and paper manufacturing technologist, quality assurance technologist, scheduling technician – manufacturing, textile technologist, time study analyst.

Industrial engineering and manufacturing technologists perform some or all of the following duties:
  • Develop and conduct production, inventory and quality assurance programs in manufacturing or in other industries
  • Design plant layouts and production facilities
  • Develop and carry out work study and related programs
  • Develop and carry out industrial health, safety and fire prevention plans and programs and conduct safety training programs
  • Develop applications using CAD/CAM (computer-assisted drafting, computer-assisted manufacturing) for the control of robots, computer numerical control (CNC) machines and other manufacturing processes and operations.
Industrial engineering and manufacturing technicians perform some or all of the following duties:
  • Assist in the design of plant layouts
  • Conduct work measurement or other studies
  • Collect and compile operational or experimental data and assist in the development of estimates, schedules, specifications and reports
  • Collect and analyze data and samples in support of quality assurance and industrial health and safety programs
  • Develop manufacturing and processing procedures and variables, set machine or equipment controls, oversee production and inspect processes.

Technologists and technicians in this unit group may specialize in the development of production processes, quality assurance programs, plans and schedules in a particular industrial area such as metal fabrication, plastics, pulp and paper, or textile manufacturing.

Included Cities in Region | Service Canada Offices

Abbotsford, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Richmond, Surrey, Vancouver, Chilliwack, Langley, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, White Rock, Gibsons, Mission, Aldergrove, Brunswick Beach, Crescent, Crescent Beach, Cultus Lake, Elgin, Fort Langley, Grandview, Lions Bay, McMillan Island, Ocean Park, South Surrey, Sunnyside, Willoughby

View a list of Service Canada offices in this area.

Outlook & Prospects for Industrial Engineering and Manufacturing Technologists and Technicians in Lower Mainland - Southwest 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.

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 (Industrial Engineering and Manufacturing Technologists and Technicians) is part of a larger occupational group called Technical Occupations in Civil, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (NOC 223).

Table on the demographic profile for your chosen occupation at the national level.
Occupations in this group Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians (2231) 
Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians (2232) 
Industrial Engineering and Manufacturing Technologists and Technicians (2233) 
Construction Estimators (2234) 
Employment (non-student) in 2010 68,841
Median Age of workers in 2010 39
Average Retirement Age in 2010 59

Occupation Projection for Canada

Over the 2008-2010 period, this occupation experienced very strong employment growth and a slight decrease in the unemployment rate. However, the hourly wage increased little. According to key labour market indicators, the number of job seekers was sufficient to fill the job openings in this occupation.

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 Technical Occupations In Civil, Mechanical And Industrial Engineering, over the 2011-2020 period, job openings (arising from expansion demand and replacement demand) are expected to total 29,027 and 31,896 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 labour market conditions for this occupation will remain balanced over the 2011-2020 period. The majority of job openings will result from retirements. The retirement rate will be similar to the average rate for all occupations. Although expansion demand will not create as many job openings as retirements, it will still be slightly higher than average. Just like engineers, technical occupations will benefit from the large amounts that will be invested in public and private infrastructure in the coming years. With regard to labour supply, the majority of job seekers will come directly from the school system. Analysis shows that, although the number of school leavers will be high, the number of school leavers in related fields of study is even higher. Hence, if all these school leavers decide to seek employment in this occupation over the 2011-2020 period, the number of job seekers will greatly exceed the number of job openings. In the projection period, immigrants will also represent a significant proportion of job seekers since knowledge and experience in engineering gained abroad is more easily transferable than knowledge and experience gained in other occupations.

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

This Chart contains data for Projection of Job Openings vs. Job Seekers for Canada. Information is available in the following tables.
Table of job opening projections for the occupational group containing your chosen occupation.
Category Openings %
Expansion Demand 10,557 36%
Retirements 15,355 53%
Other Replacement Demand 1,567 5%
Emigration 1,548 5%
Projected Job Openings 29,027 100%
Table of job seeker projections for the occupational group containing your chosen occupation.
Category Seekers %
School Leavers 26,067 82%
Immigration 4,742 15%
Other 1,087 3%
Projected Job Seekers 31,896 100%

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.

This table shows the industry sectors employing the highest number of people in this occupation.
Industry / Sector %
Manufacturing 71.80
Professional, scientific and technical services 8.60
Wholesale trade 5.60

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, 4% of people in this occupation were self-employed, while the average for all occupations was 12%.

The data from the Labour Force Survey (2009) regarding self-employment for this group are not sufficiently reliable to be published.

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

This occupation (Industrial Engineering and Manufacturing Technologists and Technicians) is part of a larger group called Technical Occupations in Civil, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (NOC 223). According to the Labour Force Survey (2009), the unionization rate for this group was 25%, while the unionization rate for all occupations was 31%.

Please consult the Lower Mainland - Southwest Region and British Columbia tabs for more useful information related to outlook.