Job prospects Industrial Firefighter in Ontario

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as an "industrial firefighter" in Ontario or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Ontario

These outlooks were updated on December 11, 2024.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be good for Firefighters (NOC 42101) in Ontario for the 2024-2026 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

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

What Types of Employers Are Out There?

• Majority employed by local or municipal governments, in fire-fighting departments
• Electric power generation, construction, and security systems services also employ a few firefighters.

 

What are the Main Trends Affecting Employment?

• The level of job opportunities and requirements are set by municipalities
• Population growth is expected to result in expanded fire services in some areas
• Provincial mandatory retirement age for salaried firefighters should create some replacement needs
• Federal and provincial investments to attract and retain firefighters

 

What Skills Do I Need to Succeed?

• Typically, completion of high school, although some municipalities may prefer additional education
• A pre-service firefighter training program is offered through the Office of the Fire Marshal

 

What Other Information Will I Find Helpful?

• Volunteers or on-call personnel account for about 6-in-10 of the total number of firefighters.

Here are some key facts about Firefighters in Ontario:

• Approximately 13,350 people work in this occupation.
• Firefighters mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Local, municipal, regional, aboriginal and other public administration (NAICS 913-919): 90%
• 89% of firefighters work all year, while 11% work only part of the year, compared to 63% and 37% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 49 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 93% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: 7% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 9% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 17% compared to 25% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 15% compared to 8% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 48% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 17% compared to 24% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 13% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Ontario by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Job prospects elsewhere in Canada

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as an "industrial firefighter" Firefighters (NOC 42101) or across Canada.

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