The Canada job prospects for aircraft mechanics and inspectors in Canada are looking good in the short-term – and a report estimates there will be a shortage of skilled workers in the industry within six years.

“We are struggling in a big way. We can’t get enough (workers),” said Abdol Moabery, chief executive of commercial aerospace company GA Telesis LLC.

The Job Bank website ranks the job prospects for aircraft mechanics and inspectors as “good” in the provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec and Saskatchewan and the territory of Nunavut in Canada’s far north. 

In the territory of Yukon, Job Bank estimates the job prospects for aircraft mechanics and inspectors as “very good” – its highest ranking.

The Indeed job-hunting website had 56 job postings for aircraft mechanics in early July and that means opportunities for foreign nationals hoping to get their permanent residence here through Express Entry occupation-targeted draws.

Under changes announced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) 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 through occupation-targeted draws.

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

Aircraft mechanics and inspectors, categorized under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 system with the code 72404, is one of the 82 occupational groups that will now be targeted under these new Express Entry draws.

That opens up opportunities for foreign nationals to immigrate to Canada through the Express Entry system if they can land any of the jobs available aircraft mechanics and inspectors in Canada. 

In Canada, the median hourly wage for these jobs is $37 but that varies from a low of $19 per hour right up to $47.18 per hour, reveals Job Bank.

Based on a standard 37.5-hour work week, that would be $92,001 at the upper end of the annual wage scale for aircraft mechanics and inspectors.

Provincial Nominee Programs Have Been Issuing Occupation-Specific Draws For Years

Until this year, the flagship Express Entry selection system 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 work permits or as an international student with a student visa. 

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.

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.