NOC 72106: Welders and related machine operators
What welders and related machine operators do
Welders operate welding equipment to weld ferrous and non-ferrous metals. This unit group also includes machine operators who operate previously set up production welding, brazing and soldering equipment. They are employed by companies that manufacture structural steel and platework, boilers, heavy machinery, aircraft and ships and other metal products, and by welding contractors and welding shops, or they may be self-employed. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Welders
- Read and interpret blueprints or welding process specifications
- Operate manual or semi-automatic welding equipment to fuse metal segments using processes such as gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), gas metal arc welding (GMAW), flux-cored arc welding (FCAW), plasma arc welding (PAW), shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), oxy-acetylene welding (OAW), resistance welding and submerged arc welding (SAW)
- Operate manual or semi-automatic flame-cutting equipment
- Operate brazing and soldering equipment
- Operate metal shaping machines such as brakes, shears and other metal straightening and bending machines
- Repair worn parts of metal products by welding on extra layers.
- Welders may specialize in certain types of welding such as custom fabrication, ship building and repair, aerospace precision welding, pressure vessel welding, pipeline construction welding, structural construction welding, or machinery and equipment repair welding.
- Welding, brazing and soldering machine operators
- Operate previously set up welding machines such as spot, butt and seam resistance or gas and arc welding machines to fabricate or repair metal parts
- Operate previously set up brazing or soldering machines to bond metal parts or to fill holes, indentations and seams of metal articles with solder
- Start up, shut down, adjust and monitor robotic welding production line
- Assist with the maintenance and repair of welding, brazing and soldering equipment
- May adjust welding heads and tooling according to work specifications.
Job titles under NOC 72106
119 job titles are classified here, including aviation welding technician, brazing machine operator, brazing machine setter.
- acetylene welder
- aircraft welder
- apprentice welder
- arc welder
- arc welder - pipeline
- assembler tack welder
- auto body solderer
- automated welding machine operator - flash butt process
- automatic welding machine operator
- aviation welding technician
- battery lead burner
- battery lead-burner operator
- blowtorch operator
- blowtorch welder
- boiler welder
- brazer
- brazer and hammerer
- brazing machine operator
- brazing machine setter
- cable welder
- combination welder
- dielectric welder
- downhand welder - pipeline
- drilling platform welder
Employment requirements
- Welders
- Completion of secondary school is usually required.
- Completion of a three-year apprenticeship program or A combination of over three years of work experience in the trade and some college or industry courses in welding is usually required to be eligible for trade certification.
- Trade certification is compulsory in Alberta and available, but voluntary, in all other provinces and the territories.
- Red Seal endorsement is also available to qualified welders upon successful completion of the interprovincial Red Seal examination.
- Welding, brazing and soldering machine operators
- Some secondary school education is required.
- Several months of on-the-job training are usually provided.
- Experience as a machine operator helper may be required.
- Experience with robotics may be required.
Welders and related machine operators wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $22.00/hr | $30.00/hr | $47.00/hr |
Toronto ON | $20.00/hr | $28.00/hr | $42.00/hr |
Montréal QC | $22.00/hr | $28.00/hr | $35.38/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $26.00/hr | $37.50/hr | $49.50/hr |
Calgary AB | $26.16/hr | $37.72/hr | $54.27/hr |
Edmonton AB | $28.00/hr | $39.90/hr | $54.00/hr |
Ottawa ON | $21.00/hr | $28.00/hr | $41.28/hr |
Winnipeg MB | $23.00/hr | $28.00/hr | $40.16/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $22.00/hr | $28.00/hr | $35.38/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $20.00/hr | $27.00/hr | $35.00/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $21.00/hr | $27.66/hr | $37.00/hr |
London ON | $21.00/hr | $28.00/hr | $41.28/hr |
Halifax NS | $23.58/hr | $31.60/hr | $47.23/hr |
Victoria Vancouver Island and Coast region, BC | $23.00/hr | $35.00/hr | $48.00/hr |
Saskatoon Saskatoon–Biggar region, SK | $23.00/hr | $32.45/hr | $52.00/hr |
Regina Regina–Moose Mountain region, SK | $24.02/hr | $32.82/hr | $45.15/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland and Labrador | $23.46/hr | $38.41/hr | $54.00/hr |
Nova Scotia | $21.00/hr | $29.00/hr | $43.00/hr |
New Brunswick | $22.00/hr | $28.00/hr | $46.00/hr |
Quebec | $22.00/hr | $28.00/hr | $35.38/hr |
Ontario | $21.00/hr | $28.00/hr | $41.28/hr |
Manitoba | $21.00/hr | $27.00/hr | $40.16/hr |
Saskatchewan | $22.00/hr | $32.00/hr | $46.00/hr |
Alberta | $25.00/hr | $38.00/hr | $52.18/hr |
British Columbia | $23.25/hr | $35.00/hr | $51.87/hr |
Using NOC 72106 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 119 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Wave soldering machine operator (NOC 94201)
- Weld tester (NOC 22230)
- Welder supervisor (NOC 72010)
- Welding technologist (NOC 22101)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for welders and related machine operators?
Welders and related machine operators are NOC 2021 unit group 72106. Example job titles in this group include aviation welding technician, brazing machine operator, brazing machine setter, electric arc welder.
What TEER is NOC 72106?
NOC 72106 is TEER 2 (College diploma or apprenticeship (2+ years)). Usually requires a 2–3 year college program or a 2–5 year apprenticeship, or the occupation carries supervisory or significant safety responsibilities. TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 work counts as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do welders and related machine operators earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $30.00/hr, about $59,000 a year full-time, with a range of $22.00/hr to $47.00/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.