Canada's highest-paid professions

We have compiled a list of the highest-paid professions in Canada by industry. Which industries are we going to cover today? Medicine, IT and technology, construction, skilled trades, finance and business, law, aviation, transportation, logistics and warehouses, factories and manufacturing, farming, oil, gas and mining, and the public sector.

And for those who are interested, today we’ll talk about the most in-demand professions from the point of view of pay. If you don’t find your profession on this list, don’t worry—at the end of the news we’ll explain how you can check approximately how much you would earn in Canada if you come here in your profession. Yes, there is an actual website where you can see all of this—roughly, give or take.

Dear friends, we’re starting. Let’s go.

So, dear friends, as we said: medicine, IT and technology, construction, skilled trades, finance, business, law, aviation, transportation, logistics and warehouses, factories and manufacturing, farming, oil, gas and mining, and the public sector.

In each of these sectors, we selected the top three highest-paid professions in Canada.

How did we calculate the hourly wage? Today we’ll be talking about hourly pay in Canadian dollars. We live in Canada, so we’ll use Canadian dollars, not U.S. dollars.

It’s actually very simple. we took annual salaries that we found on Job Bank—the official Government of Canada website—on Indeed, on Glassdoor, and also on a special section of the official Canadian government website where you can see average wages.

What did we do? We took those annual salaries, made an approximate average, and then divided them by 2,000 working hours. Why 2,000 hours? Because on average, a person in Canada works about 40 hours a week—35 to 40, but roughly 40. About 50 weeks a year. That gives us approximately 2,000 working hours per year.

So we took the annual salary, divided it by 2,000 hours, and got an approximate hourly wage. Based on this wonderful math that we tried to explain to you today—well, we tried, guys, honestly. It was exhausting, but we tried.

Alright, let’s start.

Medicine – top three.First place: anesthesiologists earn between 170 and 220 Canadian dollars per hour.
Second place: surgeons earn between 150 and 200 Canadian dollars per hour.
Third place: psychiatrists earn between 120 and 170 Canadian dollars per hour.

We want to say right away—it’s very hard to find work in this field, because diplomas from the post-Soviet space are not always recognized in Canada. You’ll need additional education, and overall it’s very complicated. So we can’t really advise much here.

When medical professionals came to me asking for help with resumes for Canada, we usually tried to “stretch an owl onto a globe,” so to speak—rewriting their resumes for positions like caregivers, nannies, or elder care workers. That’s one of the few realistic ways to get into the field at first. And if you have medical education, that’s a big plus—because if you’re caring for elderly people and also have medical knowledge, that’s very valuable.

Moving on.

IT and technology.First place: software architects earn about 70–100 Canadian dollars per hour.
Second place: senior database specialists earn about 75–110 Canadian dollars per hour.
Third place: DevOps engineers earn about 65–95 Canadian dollars per hour.

Next sector, which is very interesting for my subscribers—construction.
First place: construction site managers (project leads, foremen) earn about 55–85 Canadian dollars per hour.
Second place: crane operators earn about 50–75 Canadian dollars per hour.
Third place: construction project managers earn about 60–90 Canadian dollars per hour.

Again, this is average market data. In some provinces salaries are higher, in others lower. This is the “average temperature in the hospital.”

Skilled trades (Trades).First place: electricians with Red Seal certification earn about 45–65 Canadian dollars per hour.
Second place: HVAC technicians—those who install heating, cooling, and ventilation systems—earn about 45–70 Canadian dollars per hour.
Third place: industrial mechanics earn about 50–75 Canadian dollars per hour.

You might say: “I work as an electrician in New Brunswick and earn 30 dollars an hour—why are you saying 45?” Because we're talking about averages. Someone earns less, someone earns more. 

Moving on.

Finance and business.
Investment bankers earn about 90–150 Canadian dollars per hour.
Financial directors in large corporations earn about 70–110 Canadian dollars per hour.
Certified accountants—usually they work for themselves, not hourly—but if working in a company, about 45–70 Canadian dollars per hour.

Law.
Corporate lawyers earn about 80–140 Canadian dollars per hour.
Trial lawyers earn about 70–130 Canadian dollars per hour.
Compliance specialists earn about 55–85 Canadian dollars per hour.

Aviation.
Airline pilots earn about 90–140 Canadian dollars per hour.
Air traffic controllers earn about 50–75 Canadian dollars per hour.
Aircraft mechanics earn about 40–70 Canadian dollars per hour.

Again—averages.

Transportation.
Long-haul truck drivers: 30–60 Canadian dollars per hour. This is controversial, because 99% of truck drivers are paid per mile, not hourly.

Fuel truck drivers earn about 45–70 Canadian dollars per hour. Heavy equipment transport drivers earn about 50–80 Canadian dollars per hour. If it’s city work—hourly. Long distance—per mile.

Logistics and warehouses.
Logistics managers earn about 50–80 Canadian dollars per hour.
Warehouse managers earn about 35–55 Canadian dollars per hour.
Freight coordinators (dispatchers) earn about 30–50 Canadian dollars per hour.

Factories and manufacturing.
Shift supervisors earn about 40–65 Canadian dollars per hour.
CNC machine operators earn about 35–55 Canadian dollars per hour.
Quality engineers earn about 45–70 Canadian dollars per hour.

Farming.
Farm managers earn about 45–65 Canadian dollars per hour.
Agricultural equipment operators earn about 30–50 Canadian dollars per hour.
Livestock specialists earn about 28–45 Canadian dollars per hour.

Oil, gas, and mining.
Oil and gas engineers earn about 70–110 Canadian dollars per hour.
Drilling supervisors earn about 60–95 Canadian dollars per hour.
Mining engineers earn about 65–100 Canadian dollars per hour.

Public sector.

Firefighters earn about 45–70 Canadian dollars per hour.
Police officers earn about 40–60 Canadian dollars per hour.
Safety inspectors earn about 45–65 Canadian dollars per hour.

If you think we’re lying and these numbers don’t exist—we’ll repeat: this is simply the average of the highest-paid positions in Canada. Just because your salary doesn’t match this list doesn’t mean someone else’s won’t.

Also, in Canada it’s not very common to ask coworkers how much they earn per hour—it’s considered bad manners. So people often hide this information.

Now, if you didn’t find your profession on this list and you’re wondering how to check your salary in Canada—there’s a great website, Indeed. There’s a salary section that works even without registration. You enter your profession in English and see the minimum, average, and high salary range.

Given recent news from the U.S., many people are disappointed with U.S. immigration. The U.S. recently blocked immigrant visas for most post-Soviet countries, while Canada remains accessible. A U.S. work visa now requires a fee of $100,000 USD, while in Canada a work permit fee is 155 CAD.