职业描述：Welders and Soldering Machine Operators (9510)

At Work
People in this occupation work in companies that manufacture structural steel and platework, boilers, heavy machinery, aircraft, ships, transportation and other metal products. Welders are also employed by welding contractors, welding shops and other industrial sectors, or they may be self-employed.
Welders operate manual and semi-automatic welding equipment to weld ferrous and non-ferrous metals following blueprints and welding process specifications. They may specialize in certain types of welding such as ship building, aerospace precision welding and pipeline construction welding.
Welding machine operators use previously set up welding machines such as spot, butt and seam resistance or gas and arc welding machines to fabricate and repair metal parts.
Brazing and soldering machine operators use previously set up brazing and soldering machines to bond metal parts and to fill holes, indentations and seams of metal articles with solder.

Education, Training and Experience
People in this occupation usually must have some high school education. Many recent entrants have a trade/vocational diploma.

To gain trade certification, welders must usually complete a three-year apprenticeship program, or a combination of over three years' experience and some college or industry courses in welding.
Trade certification for welders is compulsory in Nova Scotia and Alberta. It is available, but voluntary, in Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. Qualified welders may also obtain interprovincial trade certification (Red Seal) which provides job mobility throughout the country.
Welding, brazing and soldering machine operators usually require several months' on-the-job training and may require experience as machine operator helpers.

About this Occupation
76,000 persons worked in this occupation in 1996, down 0.3% from 1986. Over the same period, employment in all occupations grew by 13.1%.

3% of all workers in this occupation work part-time, well below the average of 19% for all occupations.
4% of all persons working in this occupation are women, well below the average of 45% for all occupations.
The unemployment rate in this occupation averaged 11.8% from 1994 to 1996, well above the average of 6.7% for all occupations. These rates are among the highest for occupations at this skill level and for occupations in processing, manufacturing and utilities.
Average earnings of year-round, full-time workers in this occupation in 1995 were $37,100, compared to an average of $35,700 for all occupations. These earnings are among the highest for occupations at this skill level and for occupations in processing, manufacturing and utilities.
Employment in this occupation is highly sensitive to overall economic conditions and moderately seasonal.

Full-Time Earnings

1995 Full-Time Earnings*
$56,600 Highest
$37,100 Average
$18,900 Lowest

* Full-time earnings of the highest 10%, the average and the lowest 10% of workers. $35,700 is the average for all occupations.

Looking to the Year 2001
Current labour market conditions for new entrants in this occupation are fair. Labour market conditions for new entrants will remain fair through 2001.

Those with the ability to work with high-technology applications in this occupation may have better opportunities.
Most of the increase in labour requirements through 2001 in this occupation will occur in the metal fabricating, motor vehicle and non-electrical machinery industries.