Job prospects Power Plant Engineer in Nova Scotia

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Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "power plant engineer" in Nova Scotia or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Nova Scotia

These outlooks were updated on November 29, 2023.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be moderate for Mechanical engineers (NOC 21301) in Nova Scotia for the 2023-2025 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
• A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

Mechanical engineers are primarily employed in consulting firms, government defence services, construction (HVAC: heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) and manufacturing facilities. The large Irving Shipbuilding project in Halifax is a current noteworthy source of employment. Halifax has the most job opportunities, while attracting Mechanical engineers to rural locations has been proving difficult.  Those with a professional designation may have more success finding employment.

Here are some key facts about Mechanical engineers in Nova Scotia:

• Approximately 850 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
• Mechanical engineers mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Architectural, engineering and design services (NAICS 5413): 41%
  • Machinery manufacturing (NAICS 333): 7%
  • Ship and Boat Building (NAICS 3366): 6%
  • Plastics and rubber products and chemicals manufacturing (NAICS 325-326): 6%
  • Utilities (NAICS 22): 6%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 94% compared to 82% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 6% compared to 18% for all occupations
• 73% of mechanical engineers work all year, while 27% work only part of the year, compared to 62% and 38% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 45 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
• 9% of mechanical engineers are self-employed compared to an average of 11% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 90% compared to 51% for all occupations
  • Women: 10% compared to 49% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: n/a
  • high school diploma or equivalent: less than 5% compared to 27% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: n/a
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: n/a
  • bachelor's degree: 74% compared to 20% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 23% compared to 10% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Nova Scotia by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Labour market conditions over the next 10 years

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "power plant engineer" Mechanical engineers (NOC 21301) or across Canada.

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