Description
Welders operate welding equipment to weld ferrous and non-ferrous metals. This unit group also includes machine operators who operate previously set up production welding, brazing and soldering equipment. They are employed by companies that manufacture structural steel and platework, boilers, heavy machinery, aircraft and ships and other metal products, and by welding contractors and welding shops, or they may be self-employed.
Job Titles
- Aircraft welder
- Apprentice welder
- Blowtorch welder
- Solderer
- Torch welder
- Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welder
- Welder
- Welder apprentice
Main Duties
- Read and interpret blueprints or welding process specifications
- Operate manual or semi-automatic welding equipment to fuse metal segments using processes such as gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), gas metal arc welding (GMAW), flux-cored arc welding (FCAW), plasma arc welding (PAW), shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), oxy-acetylene welding (OAW), resistance welding and submerged arc welding (SAW)
- Operate manual or semi-automatic flame-cutting equipment
- Operate brazing and soldering equipment
- Operate metal shaping machines such as brakes, shears and other metal straightening and bending machines
- Repair worn parts of metal products by welding on extra layers.
Workplaces
- Welding shops
- Welding contractors
- Self-employed
- Manufacturers of structural steel and platework, boilers, heavy machinery, aircraft, ships, and other metal products
Skills
- Equipment and Tool Selection
- Operation and Control
- Preventative Maintenance
- Quality Control Testing
- Reading Comprehension
- Coordinating
- Critical Thinking
- Decision Making
- Evaluation
- Instructing
Abilities
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Control of Settings
- Dynamic Strength
- Glare Tolerance
- Body Flexibility
- Depth Perception
- Far Vision
- Finger Dexterity
- Gross Body Coordination
- Gross Body Equilibrium
Personal Attributes
- Attention to Detail
- Independence
- Active Learning
- Adaptability
- Collaboration
- Concern for Others
- Stress Tolerance
- Analytical Thinking
- Creativity
- Innovativeness
Similar Occupations
- Weld tester (in 22230.00 Non-destructive testers and inspectors)
- Wave soldering machine operator (in 94201.01 Electronics assemblers and fabricators)
- Welder supervisor (in 72010.00 Contractors and supervisors, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations)
- Welding technologist (in 22101.02 Geological and mineral technicians)
Source: OaSIS
Employment Outlook
The employment outlook will be good for Welders and relate machine operators (72106) in Prince Edward Island for the 2022-2024 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
- Employment growth will lead to several new positions.
- A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
- There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
The demand for workers in this occupation is expected to remain positive over the forecast period. The level of construction and industrial activity has been strong in the province and finding qualified workers to meet demand has been a struggle for some employers.
These tradespersons mainly work in manufacturing for metal, transportation and machinery producers. Welders in this industry produce goods that are used as inputs for various types of industrial activities, including construction. As such, job prospects in this trade are expected to benefit from the favourable level of construction activity. The demand for workers in this occupation is expected to remain positive due to strong gains in non-residential investment over the forecast horizon.
Here are some key facts about Welders and related machine operators in Prince Edward Island:
- Approximately 600 people work in this occupation.
- Welders and related machine operators mainly work in the following sectors:
- Other services (except public administration) (NAICS 81): 41%
- Fabricated metal product manufacturing (NAICS 332): 25%
- Transportation equipment manufacturing (NAICS 336): 16%
- Machinery manufacturing (NAICS 333): 8%
- Construction (NAICS 23): 7%
- 66% of welders and related machine operators work all year, while 34% work only part of the year, compared to 59% and 41% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 44 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
- 11% of welders and related machine operators are self-employed compared to an average of 13% for all occupations.
- The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
- Men: 94% compared to 51% for all occupations
- Women: 6% compared to 49% for all occupations
- The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
- no high school diploma: 6% compared to 11% for all occupations
- high school diploma or equivalent: 21% compared to 28% for all occupations
- apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 39% compared to 11% for all occupations
- college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor’s: 31% compared to 25% for all occupations
- bachelor’s degree: less than 5% compared to 17% for all occupations
- university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 8% for all occupations
Source: Job Bank
Prevailing Wages
| AREA | LOW | MEDIAN | HIGH |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEI | $16.00 | $22.00 | $30.00 |
| Canada | $20.00 | $28.00 | $42.50 |
Training
| TRAINING PROGRAM | INSTITUTION | CREDENTIAL |
|---|---|---|
| Welding Fabrication | Holland College | Diploma |
| Welding Fabrication – Year 1 | Holland College | Certificate |