The shortage of civil engineers in Canada is expected to persist for at least another nine years despite anticipated significant growth in the number of qualified immigrants and university graduates looking for such jobs.

And with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announcing earlier this year that Canada’s Express Entry system will begin targeting 82 jobs in healthcare, technology, trades, transport and agriculture this summer – including civil engineers  – foreign nationals hoping to immigrate to Canada now have at a new opportunity to get their permanent residence here.

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The Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) is forecasting there will be up to 32,100 job seekers eyeing civil engineering jobs from now through to 2031 and only 26,100 new jobs in the field.

Green revolution and infrastructure program are driving demand for civil engineers

That might seem like a glut of civil engineers but the shortage of these skilled professionals is currently so great that COPS is expecting there will still be a significant shortage of civil engineers in Canada even with all those new workers.

“The labour shortage conditions seen in recent years will not clear and are expected to persist over the projection period,” states the COPS website.

The demand for engineering services is expected to be driven by the construction of energy-efficient, industrial and commercial buildings, electric vehicle manufacturing plants and warehouse space due to the transition toward a green economy and the growing adoption of e-commerce.

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Ottawa’s $185-billion, 12-year infrastructure program is also expected to support the construction of public engineering structures and institutional buildings.

All of this means more opportunities for foreign nationals to immigrate to Canada under the flagship Express Entry selection system which has previously only conducted draws based on immigration programs, not by targeting specific occupations.

Candidates will need at least six months of continuous work experience in Canada or abroad within the past three years in one of these occupations to be eligible, experience that can have been gained while working in Canada as temporary foreign workers with a work permits or as an international student with a student visa. 

The opportunities are there. 

There were 216 job listings for civil engineers, categorized under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 system with the code 21300, posted on the Jobbank job-hunting and career-planning website in August, some of them from employers hoping to hire more than one employee. 

Most of the jobs civil engineers listed in August on Jobbank were in Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta.

In Canada, the median hourly wage for civil engineers is $43 but that varies from a low of $27.55 right up to $67.18, reveals Jobbank. 

Immigration minister opened up 82 occupations to targeted Express Entry draws

Based on a standard, 37.5-hour work week, that means school counsellors could expect to earn a top median annual income of $131,000.

Under the changes announced at the end of May, the Express Entry streams, including the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program, Federal Skilled Trades (FST) program and Canadian Experience Class (CEC), as well as parts of the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) will now be more responsive to labour market needs.

“Everywhere I go, I’ve heard loud and clear from employers across the country who are experiencing chronic labour shortages,” said then-Immigration Minister Sean Fraser.

“These changes to the Express Entry system will ensure that they have the skilled workers they need to grow and succeed.  We can also grow our economy and help businesses with labour shortages while also increasing the number of French-proficient candidates to help ensure the vitality of French-speaking communities.”

Canada first signalled its intention to start occupation-specific draws through Express Entry in June last year, when changes were made to the Immigration, Refugee and Protection Act to allow invitations based on occupations and other attributes, such as language ability.

The majority of Canada’s provinces have been issuing occupation-specific invitations for several years.

Under the changes to the act, the immigration minister is required to consult provinces and territories, members of industry, unions, employers, workers, worker advocacy groups, settlement provider organizations, and immigration researchers and practitioners, before announcing new categories.

IRCC must also report to parliament each year on the categories that were chosen and the reason for the choices.

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) says the number of occupations facing shortages doubled between 2019 and 2021. From 2018 to 2022, federal high skilled admissions accounted for between 34 and 40 per cent of overall French-speaking admissions outside Quebec, which manages its own immigration intake.

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