Computer Electronics and Engineering Technologist

In this section you’ll find:

• General information on computer electronics and engineering technicians and employees in the field.
• More specific details about work in computer electronics and engineering technology.
• Information about the job market for electronics technologists in Ontario.

Fast facts about Electronics and Engineering Technology :

• Results of a 2005 report suggest that handling many different kinds of jobs at the same time—or multi-tasking—is very important in many electronics and engineering technology jobs.
• Technicians and technologists make up about 11.5 % of the IT workforce the private sector. Of these 2.3 % were electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians.
• At only 4%, the unemployment rate for electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians is nearly half the national average.
• Because changes in this field happen quickly, you will probably need to upgrade your skills often.
• Data for this same group in the public sector was not available. 
• Most recent entrants into the field attended college, university or a post-graduate program. Of these, the largest group attended community college.
• Almost half of IT and engineering technicians in Canada live in Ontario

Finding Work:

• The top three ways employers in the private sector recruited employees in this field were:
  • Employee referrals
  • word-of-mouth
  • resumes submitted to the company
• The processes used for recruitment in the public sector are very different. Employers reported their top three methods of finding staff were through:
• official staffing rules,
• government websites
• help wanted ads in newspapers and other print media.
• At 4%, the unemployment rate of workers in this field is close to the Canadian average of 7%.
• 89 % of people who graduated from a computer science program are satisfied with their work, even though just under half do not have a job directly related to their training.

What are employers saying?

• When selecting new workers, most employers felt job experience was more important than education level.
• Employees surveyed felt that communication and interpersonal skills were more important than general technical and business skills in IT and Engineering jobs, especially teamwork, spoken and written communication.
• The largest obstacles employers faced finding suitable workers were experience and locating candidates with the skills needed. 24% of employers felt that poor communication skills and/or language barriers made staffing harder.
• An overwhelming 90% of employers rejected an internationally educated professional candidate because they believed the language barrier was too challenging.

“(Immigrants) bring a fresh perspective to projects that may not have been thought of before (ideas from their home country),  they also tend to be more loyal to the company, more eager to learn and to improve (whether it be english skills, work skills, life skills), they are very appreciative and enthusiastic as well as more flexible to new ideas, projects and opportunities.”

 Grace Baba, Human Resources/Administration Manager i3DVR International Inc.

• 41% of applicants were rejected because they did not have Canadian experience while 31% were because they didn’t have enough documentation.
• Employers generally believe that professionals who were internationally trained are high performers.
• Over 60% of surveyed employers felt technicians, programmers and software engineers were generally most qualified to work in Canada.

The Job Market

What the research shows about jobs in Computer Electronics and Engineering Technology :

• In Ontario Electrical /Electronics Engineering Technologists and Technicians make about $48, 156  per year
• This is slightly higher than theOntario average of $47, 299.
• The hourly average for Electrical/Electronics Engineering Technologists and Technicians is $23.11. This wage is above the Canadian average of $18.07.

Average Income for Electrical/Electronics Engineering Technicians:

Annual Annual Income Ontario Workers All Occupations	Average Annual Income Ontario for Electrical/Electronics Engineering Technicians	Average Annual Income, Certified Electrical Engineering Technicians/ Technologists	Average Annual Income, Certified Electronics Engineering Technicians/ Technologists	Average Hourly Canadian Wage, All Workers	Average Hourly Canadian Wage, Technology Workers
$47,299	$48, 156	Technologists: $76, 100 Technicians: $74, 100 Associates (non-certified OACETT members): $58, 500	Technologists:$74, 200 Technicians: $65, 200 Associates (non-certified OACETT members):$57, 500	$18.07	$23.11

 

Average Income for Electrical/Electronics Service Technicians:

Annual Annual Income Ontario Workers All Occupations	Average Annual Income Ontario for Electrical/Electronics Engineering Technicians	Average Hourly Canadian Wage, All Workers	Average Hourly Canadian Wage, Technology Workers
$47,299	$40, 485	$18.07	$21.75

 

 

These salaries are considerably higher than the Ontario average but this data may be higher than the true average because:

• The sample size for the study was quite small (309 workers in Electrical and 214 employees in Electronics
• The average salaries are of OACETT certified members. Certification may account for the higher wage.

For more information on the salary you can expect to make in the IT industry visit the Canadian IT Salary Calculator.

Information Technology Links

IT World Canada

Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC)

The Canadian Technology Human Resources Board

The Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC)