See table for salaries.
Average Driller’s and Blaster’s Salary in Canada
The table below details the hourly wages for Drillers and Blasters.
The Canadian national occupation classification code (NOC) for this role is 7372.
Job titles and exact duties vary in this occupation and examples of some job titles are: quarry driller, construction blaster, construction driller, open-pit blaster, rotary drilling machine operator and diamond drill operator.
According to the latest figures, the highest hourly average (median) wages are earned in Alberta at $41.23 per hour and the lowest average (median) wages are earned in Nova Scotia at $23.58 per hour.
A typical full-time annual salary for this occupation is in the region of $50,000 – $75,000.
Government labour market data indicates that the number of job seekers will remain sufficient to fill job vacancies in this occupation for the near future.
Average Hourly (Median) Wages for Drillers and Blasters in Canada
| Location | Low Wage $ per hr |
Average Wage $ per hr |
High Wage $ per hr |
Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary – Alberta*(1) | 26.05 | 41.23 | 100.00 | 2019 |
| Edmonton – Alberta*(1) | 26.05 | 41.23 | 100.00 | 2019 |
| Vancouver / Lower Mainland – British Columbia | 23.50 | 32.00 | 35.97 | 2018 |
| Winnipeg – Manitoba(3) | 18.50 | 32.00 | 40.00 | 2018 |
| Fredericton / Oromocto – New Brunswick(1) | 16.50 | 26.00 | 35.00 | 2018 |
| Halifax – Nova Scotia(1) | 17.48 | 23.58 | 35.82 | 2018 |
| Northwest – Ontario | 23.85 | 29.00 | 32.32 | 2018 |
| Hamilton / Niagara Peninsula – Ontario | 20.00 | 27.76 | 36.00 | 2018 |
| Kingston / Pembroke – Ontario | 24.09 | 27.65 | 32.00 | 2018 |
| Toronto – Ontario | 20.00 | 27.76 | 36.00 | 2018 |
| Prince Edward Island(3) | 18.50 | 32.00 | 40.00 | 2018 |
| Capitale-Nationale – Quebec | 23.35 | 32.00 | 40.00 | 2018 |
| Saskatoon / Biggar – Saskatchewan(1) | 19.50 | 29.50 | 41.00 | 2018 |
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A provincial blasting licence is usually required for blasters.
The 2020 full-time average hourly wage rate for maintenance and equipment operation trades, which includes drillers and blasters, is $32.66. The 2020 corresponding median weekly wage rate is $1,280, giving an approximate full-time annual salary for this employment group of $67,000.
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