Top 10 best jobs in Canada

The entrance to Canada's Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

8. Senior government manager

Median Salary: $95,992

Change in salary (2006–2012): +23%

Total employees: 11,600

Top-level government bureaucrats translate legislation—whether provincial, federal or municipal—into actual practice. Directors, deputy ministers and managers control the non-partisan public servants that make governments work, in fields as diverse as fisheries, advanced education and municipal garbage collection.

How to qualify: To enter the bureaucracy, you usually need a university degree. At the federal level, it helps to be bilingual. A graduate degree—in public administration, or a similar field—can be a good way to jump up several rungs.

Money: Entry-level government workers can earn between $30,000 and $60,000 a year, depending on experience, education and location. By the time employees reach a senior position, though, the money can be impressive. In Ontario, the number of public servants making more than $100,000 a year climbed 11% in 2013 to more than 88,000, and some make $500,000 a year or more.

Outlook: The winds of austerity are blowing across Canada, and the good times for government workers may not last long. Cutbacks are looming in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Ottawa. And, as the private sector moves away from defined benefit pensions, the pressure to curb public-sector benefits will likely increase.

What it’s like: Simon Farbrother, the city manager in Edmonton, says civil service is no longer a nine-to-five world. “I’m at my desk by 7:30 in the morning. I don’t have lunches and coffee breaks,” he says. “And I have evening work as well.”

The reward for all that work is a chance to build a great city. The downside, however, is that everything you do is in the public eye. “Our decision-making is not behind closed doors.” That means everyone is your boss—and not everyone is nice about it.

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Top 10 best jobs in Canada

BMO Capital Markets logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

7. Real estate & financial manager

Median Salary: $79,872

Change in salary (2006–2012): +15%

Total employees: 22,800

This broad category (as defined by Statistics Canada) covers a broad swath of professions, from real estate agents to underwriters to bond traders—jobs that have surged in recent years due to Canada’s twin booms: housing and commodities. The pace is now slowing in both areas. But in capital markets, which includes research, sales, and trading, the opportunity for an ample salary remains.

How to qualify: Any job in capital markets requires a deep understanding of finance. Those in sales will also need experience working with clients. Many financial institutions offer training programs to recruit graduates with business degrees. Many entrants aim for an edge by obtaining extra qualifications such as the Chartered Financial Analyst designation or an MBA, which help advance you to senior positions more quickly.

Money: Wages have been under a lot of pressure since the financial crisis. Still, employees can expect to break six figures, with salaries for senior positions heading north of $200,000. Performance bonuses can add to total compensation, too. Salaries at large foreign institutions, such as Barclays, are more generous.

Opportunity: Industry consolidation and the rise of high-frequency trading and exchange-traded funds are sparking worries about the future of active investing, but cash is coming back to the markets, and initial public offerings are picking up again. “We expect the pace to continue, which bodes well for employment in the industry,” says Lara Zink, managing director of global equities at RBC Capital Markets.

What it’s like: Zink is usually on the trading floor by 6:30 a.m. for a couple of conference calls to review recently published research. She’s in touch with clients throughout the day to discuss stock ideas. The hours for many of the positions in this field are dictated by the market’s hours. Zink, who has two children, says it’s rare for her to stay in the office much past 5 p.m., though it does happen. “The bottom line is, as long as we’re not in a highly critical deal situation on the desk at any given time, the work is very manageable.”

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Top 10 best jobs in Canada

6. Lawyer

Median Salary: $79,996

Change in salary (2006–2012): +14%

Total employees: 50,800

Once upon a time, lawyers fell into two groups: criminal and corporate. Today, the profession features a multitude of specializations, from tax and competition law to pensions and intellectual-property law.

How to qualify: Law students are increasingly combining the traditional law school degree with another more specialized degree, such as an MBA, to be able to better apply the law to a specialized niche.

Money: According to Canadian Lawyer’s 2012 salary survey, compensation for law firm associates and in-house counsel ranged from $72,500 to $108,000.

Opportunity: In Ontario, new grads are facing an articling bottleneck—last year, hundreds were unable to get the 10-month apprenticeship they need to become licensed. But the industry is exploring alternative ways for lawyers to get called to the bar. Overall, legal hiring is picking up in Toronto, according to a report by staffing agency Robert Half, especially for those with backgrounds in litigation and corporate law, and energy-sector employment remains high.

What it’s like: Mitch Frazer, a partner at Torys LLP in Toronto, says the first year of being a lawyer is the worst. “There’s never a distinction between a lawyer that’s been practising for a minute or 20 years—you’re expected to step up and do the job. You’ll learn more in that year than you will in your entire career—but I’d never want to be a first-year lawyer again.”

Top 10 best jobs in Canada

Working with Somerset Head Teachers (Photo credit: Ewan McIntosh)

5. School principal & administrator

Median Salary: $90,001

Change in salary (2006–2012): +25%

 Total employees: 32,300

These are the principals and vice-principals who see your kids at the office when they’re caught texting in class. This group also includes the deans and senior administrators of the universities Junior will one day make it to (if he could only stop texting).

How to qualify: Once they have spent some time in front of the classroom, teachers aiming for an admin position head back to class themselves—for a master of education degree or additional specialist and principal’s training, which varies depending on the province.

Money: Vice-principals start around $97,000 per year, and principals can go up to $115,000. As management, however, school administrators’ benefits are often worse than those of the unionized teachers they lead.

Opportunity: There will be nearly 7,000 available school administration jobs across the country each year through 2015—thousands more than there are candidates. Recent cuts to education in Ontario have slightly shrunk the prospects for elementary and secondary VPs in that province, however.

What it’s like: “I never know what my day will bring,” says Jennifer Zurba, principal of William Burgess Public School in Toronto. “A kid with a broken arm, an angry parent, a teacher.” The lengthy screening process and high applicant rate means it can take a while to advance, so networking is key: “Try to get out there and sit on different committees. The more superintendents who know your name, the better your chance of them placing you.”

Top 10 best jobs in Canada

Construction Work (Photo credit: gullevek)

4. Electrical & telecommunications contractor

Median Salary: $72,800

Change in salary (2006–2012): +28%

Total employees: 20,600

For most contractors, success relies on the strength of the construction industry. Although 2012 wasn’t a great year for building, Bill Strain expects 2013 to be stronger. “The whole industry’s starting to gear up again,” says the president of Villa Electric in Surrey, B.C.

How to qualify: Contractors start by becoming certified electricians (a four-year apprenticeship that combines on-the-job training with classroom work). Strong math skills are a must. After that, you can start your own company or work your way up through an existing one.

Money: A typical journeyman electrician’s wage ranges from $30 to $38 an hour. Contractors are business owners, so their salaries vary. The owner of a successful one- or two-man operation can pull in around $70,000 to $80,000 a year.

Opportunity: Canada is expected to face a shortage of skilled tradespeople as many approach retirement. The average electrician is close to 50 years old, says Strain. “A huge amount of people will be leaving the industry.” That translates to high demand for workers, especially in provinces seeing lots of new construction, like Alberta.

What it’s like: “As an owner, I don’t do a lot of electrical work anymore. I’m a business manager and an entrepreneur,” says Strain, who has 25 employees.” Once his company gets a contract, it’s Strain’s job to keep customers happy. “If you’re running your own company, you’re on call 24 hours a day. If your customers have a problem in the middle of the night, you take the call and either you go or you send somebody.”

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