Employment snapshot
Employment levels fluctuated between 2002 and 2022 across the different sectors of the Metal, Engineering and Boating industry. Over this 20-year trend, employment levels fell in all but Machinery and Equipment Repair and Maintenance, which increased from 72,300 in 2002 to 91,000 in 2022. Employment levels are projected to decline between 2022 and 2025 in most sectors, except for Primary Metal and Metal Product Manufacturing which is projected to increase by more than two-thirds (69%) to 81,800.
It is worth noting industry employment numbers do not represent all those employed in metals and engineering as they are also employed across other industry sectors.
For VET-related occupations, employment projections to 2026 for occupations in the Transport Equipment Manufacturing sector indicate levels will remain stable or increase. For Boat Builders and Shipwrights, which comprise the largest proportion of the total sector’s workforce at about 10%, the employment level is projected to remain relatively stable. Electricians, on the other hand, with just under 4% of the sector’s workforce, are projected to grow approximately 10%.
Employment projections across Machinery Equipment Repair and Maintenance-related occupations indicate levels will increase almost all occupations, with Electricians and Clothing Trades Workers to grow about 10% each to 2026. However, the employment level of Electronics Trades Workers is projected to decrease by approximately 4% by 2026. The employment level of Metal Fitters and Machinists, which comprise the largest proportion of the sector’s total workforce, is projected to rise about 2% to 2026.
In Primary Metal and Metal Product Manufacturing-related occupations, employment projections indicate levels will increase in most occupations, with the level of Sheetmetal Trades Workers expected to rise about 20%. Increases in levels of 10% or more are projected in Production Managers (13%), and Electricians and Metal Engineering Process Workers (10% each). The employment level of Structural Steel and Welding Trades Workers, the largest proportion of the sector’s total workforce, is projected to rise about 2% to 2026.
The employment projections to 2026 across the Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing-related occupations are mixed. Employment level of Engineering Production Workers, which comprises 5% of the sector’s total workforce, is projected to decline about 14%. However, employment levels of Production Managers and Metal Engineering Process Workers are projected to increase to 2026 by 13% and 10% respectively.
Within the Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing sector, employment levels to 2026 are projected to grow across all occupations, including Production Managers and Electricians as per other sectors related to the Metal, Engineering and Boating industries. For Metal Fitters and Machinists, and Product Assemblers, which each comprise more than 5% of the total sector’s workforce, employment levels are projected to increase about 2% to 2026 or remain stable.
