Engineer Salaries in Canada

The average salary for an Engineer is $96,017 per year in Canada. Salaries estimates are based on 5534 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by an Engineer employees in Canada.

The highest salary for an Engineer in Canada is $126,288 per year.

The lowest salary for an Engineer in Canada is $74,698 per year.

Engineers have salaries comparable to construction project and plant managers. There are various subfields in engineering, including biomedical, financial, industrial, and aerospace engineering. Their high salaries reflect the trade’s significant entry barriers. Most employers prefer candidates with internship experience, although candidates can increase their competitiveness and earnings by obtaining a master’s degree in engineering or a related field and a Professional Engineering license, allowing them to advance into leadership or project management roles. The median Canadian salary is well above average, with Alberta and British Columbia offering the highest compensation.

The job title of “engineer” in Canada is a protected designation, meaning you need to meet certain requirements to earn your license and legally call yourself an engineer. You also need to specialize during schooling in one of the numerous disciplines of engineering. You can increase your earning potential by tailoring your studies to your local industry. For example, a petroleum engineer will earn the most in the Prairie provinces; a software engineer will earn the most in areas with booming tech sectors; a civil engineer will earn the most in a big city like Toronto or Vancouver. Some engineers even go on to open their own firms or work on a consultancy basis, these engineers earn the most. To do this yourself, consider earning an MBA or Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

Your ability to negotiate a higher salary as an engineer will come down to your level of experience on the job. Those just beginning their careers will have little leverage, aside from any internships or research they completed as part of their studies. Make sure to highlight these achievements if you choose to negotiate for more. You can also review engineer jobs in your area to get a benchmark of what other firms are paying, in comparison to yours, to see if your compensation is fair. If you have previous engineering experience and have earned your P. Eng. designation, your key to negotiating a higher salary is your previous work. Try to highlight impressive or complex projects you had a hand in. Emphasize the outcomes of your work: did it successfully solve client problems? Did it reduce costs or boost profits? Did you do something novel or innovative? Combine all of your professional achievements with any education or training you’ve completed, and you should have a good chance to successfully negotiate for more.

About 70.89% of Engineer professionals feel satisfied with their salary, according to anonymous Glassdoor ratings. An additional $7,841 in potential pay per year, among other factors, can qualify the annual pay of an Engineer in Canada as a good salary.

Engineer professionals in Canada have a wide total pay range, between $60,344 and $166,443 depending on experience, with an estimated total pay of $96,017 following the average career path of an Engineer.