See table for salaries.
Average Motor Vehicle Body Repairer’s Salary in Canada
The table below details the hourly wages for Motor Vehicle Body Repairers. The Canadian national occupation classification code (NOC) for this role is 7322.
Job titles and exact duties vary in this occupation and examples of some job titles are: motor vehicle body repairer, automotive body mechanic, used car renovator, dent remover and repairer and collision repair technician.
According to the latest figures, the highest hourly average (median) wages are earned in Edmonton, Alberta at $32.00 per hour and the lowest average (median) wages are earned in Ottawa – Ontario at $19.67 per hour.
A typical full-time annual salary for this occupation is in the region of $40,000 – $65,000.
Government labour market data indicates that the number of job seekers will balance job vacancies in this profession for the near future. Turnover in this profession is high because of poor employment conditions and relatively low wages.
Average Hourly (Median) Wages for Motor Vehicle Body Repairers in Canada
| Location | Low Wage $ per hr |
Average Wage $ per hr |
High Wage $ per hr |
Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary – Alberta* | 20.00 | 30.50 | 58.95 | 2019 |
| Edmonton – Alberta* | 16.94 | 32.00 | 62.50 | 2019 |
| Vancouver / Lower Mainland – British Columbia | 15.00 | 23.00 | 35.00 | 2018 |
| Winnipeg – Manitoba | 14.00 | 23.00 | 48.08 | 2018 |
| Fredericton / Oromocto – New Brunswick | 14.00 | 20.00 | 45.00 | 2018 |
| Halifax – Nova Scotia | 17.25 | 23.00 | 30.00 | 2018 |
| Toronto – Ontario | 14.00 | 20.57 | 32.95 | 2018 |
| Ottawa – Ontario | 15.00 | 19.67 | 38.19 | 2018 |
| Windsor / Sarnia – Ontario | 14.00 | 20.00 | 32.95 | 2018 |
| Kitchener / Waterloo / Barrie – Ontario | 14.00 | 20.67 | 32.95 | 2018 |
| Prince Edward Island | 15.00 | 20.00 | 26.47 | 2018 |
| Montreal – Quebec | 14.75 | 21.00 | 30.96 | 2018 |
| Saskatoon / Biggar – Saskatchewan | 17.00 | 25.00 | 35.00 | 2018 |
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The 2020 full-time average hourly wage rate for maintenance and equipment operation trades, which includes motor vehicle body repairers, 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.
There are over 30,000 motor vehicle body repairers working in Canada.
Automotive Service Technicians, Truck Mechanics and Mechanical Repairers
Motor Vehicle Technicians and Truck Mechanics
Welders and Related Machine Operators
I have spent my whole life in the body shop approx 50 years and if any young person asks me if it is a good profession I say run as fast as you can, there is no worse place to work, the materials you use to do the job all wear the skull and crossbones, it takes a good while to become efficient and not too many tradespersons will help you learn so you could take their job, there are no rewards nor common courtesies given because even if the job is perfect in the customer’s mind that car is no longer a virgin and besides it’s not theirs anyways as the car is leased. It used to be much different when folks owned their car, those customers would want the best quality shop doing the work because they would keep that car for a long time when it is not yours it doesn’t matter as long as the lease company approves the repair since they sent you there they accept the responsibility to a certain point. To do this job a good set of tools is important which might cost 30 to 50 grand and the cost cannot be deducted off your income tax. So a person would look forwards to being abused by the shop owner, the workers, the car owner, the insurance company that squeezes your last drop of blood, the government, and your health which will be cut drastically short while you are breathing nasty solvents, bondo and dry paint dust, spray paint including primers which are sprayed wherever especially in winter when the doors are closed. You have 5 years of doing all the lowest demeaning services that others refuse waiting to get your trade license, after all the crap and expense you end up going through so one day you might earn 25-30 dollars an hour, all the poison you can eat, the boss always on your tail for taking too long, the customer that can’t be satisfied and all the lowest mostly illiterate ex jail birds that you will be working besides that still ride a beat up old bicycle, imagine how much you will be learning in becoming an exceptional individual with a good progressive job that gets regarded as a skilled tradesperson instead of an uneducated, dirty, dusty, grease monkey who commands 25 bucks an hour and all the crap they can eat. Imagine sacrificing all that so you can have the privilege of repairing some wrecks caused by those lacking attention and all for a lousy 25 bucks an hour, NO THANK YOU, I still cannot understand how I managed to spend the best years of my life on my knees and back sanding and eating all the bondo I could stand, flipping hamburgers would have been a much better solution than trading one’s health and mental stability for 25-30 bucks an hour while repairing someone else’s damaged vehicle..
That is really a lousy wage when you think about the 5 years it takes to become a journeyman and the amount you spend every year in trade school. Did you know that a dog groomer makes twice the amount after just a 6 months course? And you can usually pick your own hours if you have your own dog grooming room in your house.