Canada’s engineering and applied science technicians and technologists possess highly in-demand skills and make a significant contribution to the Canadian economy, according to a new study from The Conference Board of Canada.
The report, titled Assessing the Economic Contribution of Canada’s Engineering and Applied Science Technicians and Technologists, indicates that employment growth for this occupational group has strongly outpaced overall employment growth for Canada as a whole over the past 15 years and that their wages are more than 20 per cent higher than the national average.
Rapid growth of this sector
“The rapid growth of this sector of the Canadian economy demonstrates why engineering and applied science technology offers so many promising career opportunities,” said Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT) President Bob van den Berg, C.E.T. “Not only is the work rewarding and versatile, the skills required are much sought after by employers in today’s dynamic job market.”
In 2013-14, more than 400,000 Canadians were employed as engineering and applied science technicians and technologists, according to the report, which was commissioned by Technology Professionals Canada, an alliance of four Canadian technology professional associations including OACETT.
Engineering and applied science technology sector
Creating an economic portrait of this diverse group, who are spread across every segment of the economy, required an examination of 21 occupational categories within the engineering and applied science technology sector. In quantifying their collective impact, the report revealed that the economic contribution of engineering and applied sciences technicians and technologists, according to the most recent Statistics Canada data, was worth $54.7 billion – 3.3 per cent of the Canadian GDP – which is larger, proportionately speaking, than the share of technicians and technologists in the Canadian workforce.
“There’s no question that, as a group, engineering technicians and technologists are enormously productive performers in the current Canadian economic landscape. They are well positioned to meet the skills demands of the future,” said van den Berg.
