Most “trade salary” pages online quote national averages, or scrape job postings, or quietly report the average instead of the median so the numbers look better. The table below uses Job Bank’s British Columbia wage data, which comes from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey. Sorted by median — the middle of the pack, which is the most representative number.
| Trade | Low | Median | High | Median year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Equipment Mechanic | $27.00 | $45.00 | $55.50 | $93,600 |
| Millwright (Industrial Mechanic) | $25.25 | $42.00 | $55.00 | $87,400 |
| Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Mechanic | $24.23 | $40.00 | $62.00 | $83,200 |
| Welder | $23.25 | $35.00 | $51.87 | $72,800 |
| Electrician | $20.00 | $34.00 | $47.49 | $70,700 |
| Plumber | $23.00 | $32.00 | $48.00 | $66,600 |
| Carpenter | $23.00 | $32.00 | $43.71 | $66,600 |
The gap between low and high is the real story. In every trade on this list the top earners make roughly double the starting rate. That spread is not luck — it comes down to certification, region, sector and extra tickets. The trade-by-trade notes below explain which of those matter most in each trade.
On this page
What these numbers do not include
Overtime, shift premiums, camp and travel allowances, tool allowances, pension and benefits. In industrial, mining and shutdown work these can add a very large amount on top of the base rate — enough that comparing base hourly alone will mislead you. Job Bank reports that most workers in these trades receive at least one non-wage benefit.
They also do not include self-employment. A certified journeyperson running their own contracting business is not on a wage at all, and their earnings sit outside this data entirely.
Trade by trade
Training lengths and hours are from each trade’s SkilledTradesBC program page. Wages are Job Bank’s British Columbia figures (low / median / high, per hour, reference period 2023–2024). “Compulsory” means the trade is on SkilledTradesBC’s Skilled Trades Certification list.
Heavy Duty Equipment Technician (NOC 72401)
Maintains and repairs the diesel-powered equipment used in construction, forestry, mining and transportation. It has the highest median and the highest starting rate of the seven trades here. Mining, forestry and resource work in the interior and north often pays more and can involve camp schedules.
- BC wage (Job Bank): $27.00 low · $45.00 median · $55.50 high per hour — Job Bank: Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
- Apprenticeship: 28 weeks over 4 years of technical training and 6,330 work-based hours — SkilledTradesBC program page
- Compulsory in BC? No, not on the current compulsory list. Certification is voluntary but widely expected by employers
Industrial Mechanic (Millwright) (NOC 72400)
Installs, maintains and repairs industrial machinery in mills, plants and processing facilities. Plant shutdowns and turnarounds are where overtime piles up.
- BC wage (Job Bank): $25.25 low · $42.00 median · $55.00 high per hour — Job Bank: Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics
- Apprenticeship: 28 weeks over 4 years of technical training and 6,360 work-based hours — SkilledTradesBC program page
- Compulsory in BC? No, not on the current compulsory list. Certification is voluntary but widely expected by employers
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic (NOC 72402)
Installs and services commercial and residential refrigeration, air conditioning and heat-pump systems. It has the highest top-end rate of the seven. It is also one of BC’s compulsory (Skilled Trades Certification) trades.
- BC wage (Job Bank): $24.23 low · $40.00 median · $62.00 high per hour — Job Bank: Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics
- Apprenticeship: 33 weeks over 4 years of technical training and 6,210 work-based hours — SkilledTradesBC program page
- Compulsory in BC? Yes — Skilled Trades Certification trade
Welder (NOC 72106)
Shop and fabrication welding sits nearer the low end. Specialized tickets (pressure, pipeline, structural) and field or camp work are usually where the higher rates come from. SkilledTradesBC notes that certified welders may also apply to Technical Safety BC for pressure-welding qualifications.
- BC wage (Job Bank): $23.25 low · $35.00 median · $51.87 high per hour — Job Bank: Welders and related machine operators
- Apprenticeship: 26 weeks over 3 years of technical training and 4,620 work-based hours — SkilledTradesBC program page
- Compulsory in BC? No, not on the current compulsory list. Certification is voluntary but widely expected by employers
Construction Electrician (NOC 72200)
Installs, tests and maintains electrical systems in homes, commercial and industrial buildings. It is a compulsory trade in BC: you must be a registered apprentice, a certified journeyperson, or an approved Trade Qualifier or Uncertified Experienced Worker. Full path: how to become an electrician in BC.
- BC wage (Job Bank): $20.00 low · $34.00 median · $47.49 high per hour — Job Bank: Electricians (except industrial and power system)
- Apprenticeship: 40 weeks over 4 years of technical training and 6,000 work-based hours — SkilledTradesBC program page
- Compulsory in BC? Yes — Skilled Trades Certification trade
Plumber (NOC 72300)
Installs and repairs water, drainage and heating piping systems. Service and repair work tends to be steady. Adding a gas ticket (gasfitting is a separate compulsory trade) widens the work you can take on.
- BC wage (Job Bank): $23.00 low · $32.00 median · $48.00 high per hour — Job Bank: Plumbers
- Apprenticeship: 30 weeks over 4 years of technical training and 6,300 work-based hours — SkilledTradesBC program page
- Compulsory in BC? No, not on the current compulsory list. Certification is voluntary but widely expected by employers
Carpenter (NOC 72310)
Residential framing and finishing work rises and falls with the housing market. Commercial, formwork and unionized carpentry are often steadier.
- BC wage (Job Bank): $23.00 low · $32.00 median · $43.71 high per hour — Job Bank: Carpenters
- Apprenticeship: 28 weeks over 4 years of technical training and 6,360 work-based hours — SkilledTradesBC program page
- Compulsory in BC? No, not on the current compulsory list. Certification is voluntary but widely expected by employers
What apprentices earn
Apprenticeship in BC is paid work with blocks of technical training in between. There’s no single provincial apprentice wage schedule. Your pay is set by your employer or your collective agreement, usually as a percentage of the journeyperson rate that goes up as you complete levels. Two practical points:
- The percentage applies to your employer’s journeyperson rate, not the provincial median. Ask what that rate is before you accept a position.
- Hours only count once you and your sponsor are registered with SkilledTradesBC. See how to register an apprenticeship in BC.
During technical training, many apprentices apply for Employment Insurance. Check current eligibility and rules with Service Canada rather than relying on a figure from a third-party site.
Free tools for the money side: the school-block money planner (dated EI, WorkBC and loan checklist for your next class), a printable employer sheet showing the apprentice tax credits a sponsor can claim, and a $5,000 Red Seal completion bonus checker for when you certify.
How to read these numbers
Use the median, not the average. Half of workers in the occupation earn more than the median and half earn less. A few very high earners pull an average up. The “high” column is roughly what experienced, certified people in better-paying sectors earn. It isn’t a typical first-year journeyperson wage.
Yearly figures are illustrations. They multiply the median hourly rate by 2,080 hours (40 hours × 52 weeks). Seasonal layoffs, overtime and time spent in school all move real annual income.
Training costs and funding
Wages are only half the picture. What the training costs, and the funding you can claim against it, are covered in our companion guide: BC Red Seal trades — what you’ll make and what it costs.
Getting started in BC
Every one of these trades follows the same route: find a sponsoring employer, register as an apprentice with SkilledTradesBC, work paid hours with technical training between levels, then write the Red Seal exam. Finding the employer is the hard part; the paperwork is not.
If you already have substantial verified hours, you may be able to skip the apprenticeship ladder and challenge the exam as a Trade Qualifier — see how to challenge the Red Seal in BC.
Training providers across the province are listed in our BC trade school directory. If you are coming to the trades later in life, we wrote a separate guide on changing trades after 40.
Common questions
Which BC trade pays the most?
Of the seven Red Seal trades compared here, heavy equipment mechanics have the highest median at $45.00 an hour. Refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics have the highest ceiling at $62.00 an hour.
Is a Red Seal worth it in BC?
For most people, yes. The Red Seal endorsement is recognised across provinces and territories, and in compulsory trades (such as construction electrician and refrigeration mechanic) certification or registration is required just to do the work. In voluntary trades, employers widely use it to decide who gets journeyperson pay.
Do apprentices get paid in BC?
Yes. Apprenticeship is paid employment with periods of classroom training in between, with pay set by the employer or collective agreement as a percentage of the journeyperson rate that rises with each completed level.