Civil engineers

Overview

Civil engineers plan, design, develop and manage projects for the construction or repair of buildings, earth structures, powerhouses, roads, airports, railways, rapid transit facilities, bridges, tunnels, canals, dams, ports and coastal installations and systems related to highway and transportation services, water distribution and sanitation. They may also specialize in foundation analysis, building and structural inspection, surveying, geomatics and municipal planning. They are employed by engineering consulting companies, in all levels of government, by construction firms and in many other industries, or they may be self-employed.

Also known as:

airport engineer
appraisal engineer
architectural engineer
asphalt engineer
bridge engineer

Median salary

The median salary for this job across Ontario is $96,000

Average hourly wage

Low $27.00

Medium $46.15

High $72.12

Low
The low wage, in most cases, corresponds to the 10th percentile. For example, if the low wage is $12.00/hour, this means that 10% of the workers in the occupation earn $12.00/hour or less.

Medium
The median wage is the indicator of the prevailing wage for each occupation. The median wage is the middle point of the wage distribution, when wages are arranged in numerical order.

High
The high wage, in most cases, corresponds to the 90th percentile. For example, if the high wage is $40.00/hour, this means that 90% of the workers in the occupation earn $40.00/hour or less.

Education and training pathways

To be qualified for this job, completion of a postsecondary engineering program is required.

Secondary school or equivalency

An Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent is required. If you haven’t completed the required credits, you can earn them through Adult learning programs.

College or university programs

Completion of a bachelor's degree in civil engineering or in a related engineering discipline is required. A master's degree or doctorate in a related engineering discipline may be required.

Educational pathways are provided for informational purposes only. Links are included for programs at publicly assisted postsecondary institutions. They may not be inclusive of all relevant programs available in Ontario.

View university programs

Other education or certifications

Required registration

Licence or certificate of authorization from Professional Engineers Ontario is required to engage in the practice of professional engineering or to provide a service within the practice of professional engineering to the public. Engineers are eligible for registration following graduation from an accredited educational program, and after three or four years of supervised work experience in engineering and passing a professional practice examination. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification is offered by the Canada Green Building Council and may be required by some employers.

Micro-credentials

Consider obtaining micro-credentials to gain skills and knowledge relevant to your career. Micro-credentials are rapid training programs that can help you get the skills that employers need.

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Relevant organizations

Career data by region

See median salary and historical job postings of this career profile based on Economic Region.

Totals for economic regions may be less than total online job postings for the province due to exclusion of postings without reliable information.

Economic Region	Median salary ($)	Historical job postings
Ottawa	96,000	25
Kingston-Pembroke	96,000	2
Muskoka-Kawarthas	96,000	4
Toronto	98,800	121
Kitchener-Waterloo-Barrie	103,900	14
Hamilton-Niagara Peninsula	96,000	11
London	96,000	5
Windsor-Sarnia	100,000	12
Stratford-Bruce Peninsula	96,000	1
Northeast	96,000	14
Northwest	90,600	4

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About the data

Information on this page is sourced from the National Occupational Classification (NOC), which is Canada’s national system for describing occupations.

NOC Code: NOC 21300

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Ontario’s labour market information website is developed for use as a resource to help people explore career options. The job outlooks for each occupation use projections of future job openings and should be interpreted with caution. Shifts in the rate of economic growth, technological developments, business restructuring, or changes in government policies can all affect the future growth prospects or skill requirements of the labour market.

Job outlooks have been developed for Ontario as a whole, and may not reflect the situation in each local labour market. The number and type of employers, the occupational make-up of the workforce, and other local economic conditions all contribute to the employment prospects for an occupation in a given community.

The accuracy of the information presented for in-demand skills and knowledge and other sections based on job posting data depends, in part, on whether jobs are categorized into the correct occupational groups. In some cases, job postings may be incorrectly attributed to an occupational grouping and the data should be interpreted with caution

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