If you're a recent graduate, are looking to change career paths, or are still a young student wondering what to do with your life, making the right career choice is a daunting task. You don't want to be stuck in a dead-end career that you'll eventually hate, right?
Maybe we can help! Canadian Business recently released its 2019 job rankings and found the 25 best careers that Canadians can have according to salary, employment opportunity, and growth potential.
While many of these jobs are in STEM, healthcare, and skilled trades, there's potentially something here for everyone. We've sourced our list from Canadian Business and our salary data from Payscale.com.
Other information on wages across indsutries can be found on the Statistics Canada website here. Statistics Canada also compiles data about job growth in different sectors here.
Dentist
Job description: Yes, you need to go to a dentist like right now. Dentists take care of your oral health, obviously.
Average hourly salary: $53.45/hour
Benefits: After lots of schooling, you'll get an amazing benefits package depending on where you work. Industry growth is up by 63%, according to Canadian Business.
Nurse Practitioner
Job description: Nurses are the primary health-care providers that work closely with doctors from all practices.
Average hourly salary: $33.60/hour
Benefits: This is a job that'll never go away as industry growth has jumped to 75% in recent years.
Mining Supervisor
Job description: Mining supervisors oversee huge mining operations, operate heavy machinery, and perform administrative work.
Average hourly salary: $35.72/hour
Benefits: A 29% increase in job demand over the past year has made this an attractive field for future job seekers.
Utility Engineer
Job description: If you want to work in the energy sector, you can be a utility engineer, helping to bring power to the people.
Average hourly salary: $54.81/hour
Benefits: Over 3,000 jobs are predicted to be available in the utility industry by 2024 so growth potential is huge in this sector.
Power Systems Electrician
Job description: These hardworking men and women make sure that our lights stay on across the country.
Average hourly salary: $41.35/hour
Benefits: These jobs are always in demand and the government predicts huge growth in the next five years.
Engineering Manager
Job description: After a bachelor's degree and licensing, you can oversee engineering projects.
Average hourly salary: $50.96/hour
Benefits: The government expects there to be more job-seekers than people in positions in the next few years.
Pipefitting Supervisor
Job description: Making sure that water systems in homes and business are functional, pipefitters are a key career for guaranteed work.
Average hourly salary: $33.57/hour
Benefits: Over the past few years, this career has seen a 51% industry growth in Canada.
Scientific Research Manager
Job description: This career requires you to oversee scientific research across all kinds of different industries.
Average hourly salary: $49.04/hour
Benefits: Though it's a competitive job, scientific research managers are in high demand in Canada.
Public Administration
Job description: Public administrators work for governmental and regulatory organizations to help develop programs and plan budgets.
Average hourly salary: $52.88/hour
Benefits: It's one of the highest-paying government jobs you can find at a 13% wage increase in the past five years.
Construction Manager
Job description: Construction managers oversee construction projects for both private and public companies.
Average hourly salary: $50.61/hour
Benefits: Wages have seen a 14% increase in the past five years but the employment is heavily reliant on the economy.
Statistician
Job description: This is a highly in-demand job right now because of the proliferation of digitized data.
Average hourly salary: $40.55/hour
Benefits: The government predicts that there will be continued and sustained demand for this job in the next few years.
Electronics Engineer
Job description: Your responsibilities as an electronics engineer could be from installing electrical systems to supervising massive industrial projects.
Average hourly salary: $49.32/hour
Benefits: Though growth in this industry has been tapering off, the job is still in high demand for many businesses.
Business Executive
Job description: You'd be the big boss of a company working high-level and high-stress projects with a team of business professionals.
Average hourly salary: anywhere between $41.74/hour to $91.92/hour.
Benefits: There's been 26% growth in this industry from 2013 to 2018, according to Canadian Business.
Powerline Worker
Job description: You'd be responsible for repairing and maintaining power lines that keep everyone plugged in.
Average hourly salary: $30.79/hour
Benefits: Over 33% more hires happened in this industry in the past five years, highlighting how in-demand this job is in Canada.
Police Officer
Job description: You all know what this job is about. Police officers maintain law and order in cities around the country.
Average hourly salary: $34.11/hour
Benefits: The industry is growing as more cities are looking to fill vacant police positions.
Medical Supervisor
Job description: Medical supervisors oversee hospital and healthcare operations.
Average hourly salary: $39.90/hour
Benefits: There's huge growth in this field as over 57% more people have been hired for this position in the past five years, according to Canadian Business.
Train Engineer
Job description: Ever wanted to drive a train? If you choose this career path, you'll be a part of one of the highest growing fields in Canada.
Average hourly salary: $40.86/hour
Benefits: The government predicts that there will be a shortage of applicants compared to job openings in the next five years.
Occupational Therapist
Job description: This career requires you to work closely with people who have are sick, injured, or living with a disabilities.
Average hourly salary: $36.74/hour
Benefits: Occupational therapists are in high demand and can work either for big companies or in private practice.
Community Service Manager
Job description: These hardworking public servants are responsible for administering policies that help local communities thrive.
Average hourly salary: $52.88/hour
Benefits: There was a recent boom in this industry over the past five years but the government warns that future growth might stagnate.
School Administrator
Job description: While they might not have been your favourite people growing up, school administrators and principals work tirelessly to help the school system function properly.
Average hourly salary: $48.08/hour
Benefits: There hasn't been much growth in this field over the past few years but the government predicts there will be more jobs available in the next five years.
Financial Manager
Job description: Pretty much every business needs someone to account for the financials of the company.
Average hourly salary: between $24.96 and $55.75/hour
Benefits: Not a ton of growth in this field for now or for the future, but it's one of the highest paying jobs in Canada.
Oil and Gas Drilling Supervisor
Job description: Duties include managing workers for oil and gas drilling operations including problem-solving on projects.
Average hourly salary: $40.87/hour
Benefits: This industry has been hit hard by the crash in gas and oil prices. Not only that, the rise of environmentally-friendly practices is going to hit this industry hard.
Elevator Mechanic
Job description: You'll have to maintain elevators and escalators of all kinds of shapes and sizes.
Average hourly salary: $39.36/hour
Benefits: The government predicts that growth in this industry will be relatively steady in the next five years.
Health Care Manager
Job description: In this career, you oversee all hospital, clinic, and healthcare services that are required to make the place work.
Average hourly salary: $45.67/hour
Benefits: There is set to be immense growth in the healthcare industry in the next five years, according to the Canadian government.
Human Resources Manager
Job description: HR managers might be the least favourite people in the office but they are responsible for ensuring the company follows rigorous legal standards.
Average hourly salary: $38.89/hour
Benefits: Though the field has stagnated in the past few years, job seekers in this industry are still finding meaningful employment.
You can read the full report from Canadian Business here!
For information on wages in other sectors, you can browse data from Statistics Canada here!
Good luck out there, Canada!
