Top Demand Trades

According to B.C.’s Labour Market Outlook: 2025 Edition, 15 skilled trades are expected to account for 72,070 job openings over the next 10 years. These occupations require on-the-job and in-class training and offer excellent earning potential.

See the 15 trades with the largest number of job openings below. Learn more about each of these trades, including education, training and qualification requirements, annual earnings, the annual employment growth rate, and so much more.

Discover how you can participate in B.C.’s growing economy and begin your journey toward a rewarding career in the skilled trades.

Labour Market Outlook 2025 - Top Trades Occupations	Job Openings 2025-2035
Cooks	7,770
Carpenters	10,420
Construction trades helpers and labourers	10,030
General building maintenance workers and building superintendents	5,280
Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers	4,940
Hairstylists and barbers	5,380
Heavy equipment operators	4,490
Bakers	2,820
Electronic service technicians (household and business equipment)	3,130
Electricians (except industrial and power system)	3,930
Welders and related machine operators	3,110
Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics	2,760
Heavy-duty equipment mechanics	2,350
Painters and decorators (except interior decorators)	2,760
Plumbers	2,900

Additional resources

Learn about SkilledTradesBC’s Top in-Demand Trades. SkilledTradesBC bases their top in-demand trades on several criteria, including: Labour Market Outlook Information, apprenticeship registration and trends, industry feedback and historical and forecasted training seat requirements.
Discover trades training in the K-12 school system with SkilledTradesBC’s Youth Programs.
Check out SkilledTradesBC’s trades success stories.
Find a trade program or search for a seat by program or institution with Trades Training BC.
Learn about the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program, which sets common standards to assess the skill of tradespeople across Canada. A Red Seal endorsement indicates that a tradesperson has demonstrated the knowledge required for their skilled trade.

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