Immigrate to Canada as a Carpenter: Everything you need to know
In the next eight years, thousands jobs in Canada for carpenters are expected to be available, providing opportunities for foreigners with these skills and work experience to develop their permanent residence through Canada Fast entry programs.
Under the changes announced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) at the end of May, the Express Entry stream will now better respond to the needs of the job market through job-based draws.
That includes the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program, Federal Skilled Commerce (FST) program and Canadian experience class (CEC), as well as parts of the Provincial nominated programs (PNP)
Carpenter, categorized under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 system with the code 72310, is one of 82 professions that will now be the target of these new Express Entry draws.
There are already many opportunities for carpenters in Canada. The Federal Job Bank’s job search and career planning website listed 1,683 such jobs as up for grabs in early June.
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The greatest demand for carpenters at the time was in British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta. At the beginning of June, those three provinces together accounted for 1,426 jobs, or 84.7 percent of all these jobs.
There were then 820 carpenter jobs in British Columbia listed on Job Bank and another 377 in Ontario and 229 in Alberta.
At the time, employers in Saskatchewan were looking for 65 people to fill these types of jobs, Quebec was looking for 57 carpenters, Nova Scotia 39, Manitoba 36 and New Brunswick 29.
Employers in Newfoundland and Labrador were looking for 12 carpenters in early June, and there were six carpenter job openings in Prince Edward Island.
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Carpenters are in such demand that there were even jobs in the relatively sparsely populated areas, with three carpenter vacancies in the Yukon, one in Nunavut, and two in the Northwest Territories.
In the coming years, that demand is only expected to grow and lead to a shortage of 5,100 workers to fill these positions in 2031.
“For carpenters, 37,900 new job openings are expected to arise over the period 2022-2031 due to expansion demand and replacement demand, while 32,800 new job seekers due to school leavers, immigration and mobility are expected to be available to fill them.” predicts Job Bank.
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In Canada, the average hourly wage for a carpenter is $30, with a minimum of $19 to $40.51, Job Bank reveals.
Based on a standard work week of 37.5 hours, that would be $78,994 at the top end of the annual pay scale for carpenters in Canada.
Until this year, the flagship Express Entry selection system has previously only conducted draws based on immigration programs, not targeting specific occupations.
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Applicants must have 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 may have been gained while working in Canada as temporary foreign workers with a work permits or as an international student with a student visa.
“Everywhere I go, I have heard loud and clear from employers across the country who are experiencing chronic labor shortages,” said Immigration Secretary Sean Fraser.
“These changes to the Express Entry system will ensure they have the skilled employees they need to grow and succeed. We can also grow our economy and help companies with labor shortages, while also increasing the number of francophone candidates to help ensure the vitality of francophone communities.”
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Canada first signaled its intention to launch profession-specific draws via Express Entry last June when changes were made to the Immigration, Refugee and Protection Act to allow invitations based on occupations and other characteristics, such as language skills.
Most Canadian provinces have been issuing job-specific invitations for several years.
Under the amendments to the law, the immigration minister is required to consult with provinces and territories, industry members, unions, employers, workers, worker advocacy groups, settlement provider organizations, and immigration researchers and practitioners before announcing new categories.
IRCC is also required to report annually to Parliament on the categories chosen and the rationale for the choices.
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) says the number of occupations with a shortage will double between 2019 and 2021. From 2018 to 2022, federal high-skilled admissions accounted for between 34 and 40 percent of total francophone admissions outside of Quebec, which is its own immigration intake.
