Most “trade salary” pages online quote national averages, or scrape job postings, or quietly report the average instead of the median so the numbers look better. The table below uses Job Bank’s British Columbia wage data, which comes from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey. Sorted by median — the middle of the pack, which is the honest number.
| Trade | Low | Median | High | Median year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Equipment Mechanic | $27.00 | $45.00 | $55.50 | $93,600 |
| Millwright (Industrial Mechanic) | $25.25 | $42.00 | $55.00 | $87,400 |
| Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Mechanic | $24.23 | $40.00 | $62.00 | $83,200 |
| Welder | $23.25 | $35.00 | $51.87 | $72,800 |
| Electrician | $20.00 | $34.00 | $47.49 | $70,700 |
| Plumber | $23.00 | $32.00 | $48.00 | $66,600 |
| Carpenter | $23.00 | $32.00 | $43.71 | $66,600 |
The gap between low and high is the real story. In every trade on this list the top earners make roughly double the starting rate. That spread is not luck — it comes down to certification, region, sector and extra tickets. Each trade page breaks down which of those matters most for that trade.
What these numbers do not include
Overtime, shift premiums, camp and travel allowances, tool allowances, pension and benefits. In industrial, mining and shutdown work these can add a very large amount on top of the base rate — enough that comparing base hourly alone will mislead you. Job Bank reports that most workers in these trades receive at least one non-wage benefit.
They also do not include self-employment. A certified journeyperson running their own contracting business is not on a wage at all, and their earnings sit outside this data entirely.
Training costs and funding
Wages are only half the picture. What the training costs, and the funding you can claim against it, are covered in our companion guide: BC Red Seal trades — what you’ll make and what it costs.
Getting started in BC
Every one of these trades follows the same route: find a sponsoring employer, register as an apprentice with SkilledTradesBC, work paid hours with technical training between levels, then write the Red Seal exam. Finding the employer is the hard part; the paperwork is not.
Training providers across the province are listed in our BC trade school directory. If you are coming to the trades later in life, we wrote a separate guide on changing trades after 40.
Common questions
Which BC trade pays the most?
Of the seven Red Seal trades compared here, heavy equipment mechanics have the highest median at $45.00 an hour. Refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics have the highest ceiling at $62.00 an hour.
Is a Red Seal worth it in BC?
Financially, yes, for two reasons beyond the hourly rate: it is recognised in every province and territory without re-testing, and in most trades it is what lets you supervise apprentices or pull your own contracts. Those are the doors that make the difference over a career.
Do apprentices get paid in BC?
Yes. Apprenticeship is paid employment with periods of classroom training in between, typically starting near 60% of the journeyperson rate and stepping up to about 90% by the final level.
Already apprenticing? The BC Apprentice Hour & Wage Tracker logs your hours by level and checks your pay against these rates, so nothing goes missing before sign-off.