Opportunities for British Construction and Engineering Workers In Canada

Canada’s construction industry is flourishing and offers UK construction professionals an opportunity to build rewarding careers. Here are just a few of the benefits of choosing Canada.

• A shortage of construction professionals and engineers✔
• Increased activity in infrastructure and industrial projects✔
• Opportunities in Vancouver, Toronto and other locations across Canada✔
• Speedy immigration process, valuing your experience and language skills✔
• The opportunity to obtain permanent status in Canada, even citizenship✔
• Your family can join you, and you won’t need to fork out for expensive private school for your kids✔
• Quality of life, including work life balance, and a work environment where you can work fewer than 50 hours and still look fantastic✔
• Incredible access to nature, plus four distinct seasons✔
• Canadian firms are populated with other expats alike, did you know Canada’s population includes 30% of newcomers?✔

Current Demand in Canada’s Construction and Engineering Sectors

If that all sounds too good to be true, let’s have a closer look at the market. Residential real estate markets in Vancouver, Toronto, and generally across Canada cooled throughout 2023 and 2024, but we are seeing increased activity in infrastructure and industrial projects drive recruitment needs.

Here are some of the most sought-after roles for UK professionals:

• Modular / Prefabricated construction: Canada is relatively new to the prefabrication game so significant opportunities exist for those with tried and testing experience in the estimating and project delivery of modular projects
• Rail Infrastructure: Canada is experiencing record levels of rail construction, especially in urban areas, which has increased the demand for civil, structural, and MEP candidates.
• LNG and Marine Infrastructure: With a growing need for energy and export infrastructure, roles in heavy civil, ports and marine, and the early phases of major projects are in high demand.
• Water Infrastructure: Canada’s cities are investing in sustainable water infrastructure, creating opportunities for project managers and engineers with expertise in geotechnical, heavy civil, and process engineering.
• Hospital and Healthcare Infrastructure: Project Managers, Design Managers, and Commercial Professionals are needed for new builds, expanding hospital projects and tenant improvement initiatives.
• Pipeline and Tunneling Projects: Canada’s resource-rich regions need skilled workers in pipeline construction and tunneling, creating consistent demand for project managers and engineers in these fields. Skill set in demand include road header, drill and blast, large diameter (TBM) and small diameter (MTBM) tunnel boring machines

Reimagine Your Career With Outpost Recruitment

Since 2012, we have been helping British construction workers find roles in Canada, and our range of clients has grown. Our knowledge around the successful transition from UK to Canada is unparalleled but Outpost can also advise on broader issues in relocation such as choosing a location, family settlement, employment outside of construction for partner / spouse etc due to our broad knowledge of sister company, Moving2Canada.

Outpost works with top-tier employers, including both global and national general contractors, subcontractors, and consulting firms, to fill positions in project management, operations, design, and commercial management. Whether you’re experienced in buildings and infrastructure contracting, engineering consulting, or cost and project management, there are opportunities for you in Canada.

While the reality of the political and economic climate in the UK may mean looking abroad, we can help you find a positive solution for you and your family — a situation that is also an opportunity.

Across contracting, we help our clients identify key Project Management, Design, Site & Commercial Management professionals along with Executive / C-Suite leadership positions

Within engineering consulting, we specialize in Civil, Structural, Geotechnical, Mechanical, Electrical design and Project Management.

As for Cost & Project Management Consulting, our clients come back to us time and time again looking for workers in Cost Management, Project Monitoring, Infrastructure advisory, and client-side Project Management.

You can visit our Jobs Board for details about the roles we’re currently recruiting for. And please get in touch if you want to excel your career through a move to Canada.

How to Move to Canada from the UK

Young British professionals with a desire to work and travel can move to Canada from the UK on an initial two-year International Experience Canada (IEC) work permit, with an optional second participation of 12 months, up until they are 35 years old (this age varies between 30 and 35 for the other participating countries).

If you’re 35 or younger and you have experience in the construction industry, you’ll find plenty of opportunities for meaningful work in Canada. You can register for an account at Moving2Canada to get real time updates about the IEC program, including when the season opens and closes, and when weekly invitation rounds are published.

For those over 35 years old, gaining permanent residency is the most viable route to working in Canada, as employer sponsorship is often difficult to attain. “Employer sponsorship tends to be available only to senior executives / directors and Senior Project Managers, Design Managers and Estimators with tier-one contracting experience or construction professionals with niche rail experience,” states Outpost Founder Ruairi Spillane.

How Outpost Recruitment Can Help

Outpost Recruitment works with Canadian employers across civil, infrastructure and ICI buildings. Clients include global infrastructure contractors, leading Canadian contractors and consultancies, developers and subcontractors serving the Canadian market.

Outpost offers a range of articles to help international candidates prepare to be successful in the Canadian labour market. With more than a decade in the industry, Outpost can coach newcomers through the entire relocation process.

Despite the labour shortage, Canadian companies can be conservative when it comes to hiring international talent. Outpost provides our candidates with crucial coaching to help them assimilate to the local construction market. “International candidates often underestimate how challenging it can be to find work in a new country,” Spillane added.

Register with Outpost for a helping hand finding work in Canada.