Why work in Canada as an Optical Communication Engineer?
- 4% rise in demand for Optical communication Engineers in 2023
- Average salary of an Optical Engineer in Canada is CAD 83,308.8
- There is huge requirement for Optical Engineers in Canada in the coming years
- BC offers highest pay of CAD 103,392 for Optical Engineers
- Optical Communication Engineers can migrate to Canada through 9 pathways
*Check your eligibility to Canada through Y-Axis Canada immigration points calculator
About Canada
Canada has been continuously modifying and updating its immigration target based on the new immigration levels plans for 2022-2024 to attract more immigrants.
With the current rate of immigration, more than 470,000 immigrants will be landing in Canada by 2022. The Immigration Minister, Sean Fraser has been working on a new pathway for Temporary workers to become Permanent which is called the TR-to-PR pathway. Thousands of foreign workers are searching for a job in Canada to immigrate through hundreds of immigration pathways provided by the Canadian government.
Canada has proposed to welcome 1.5 newcomers by 2025.
Canada has issued an immigration plan and the number of candidates to be invited from 2023 to 2025 is mentioned. In the table below
| Year | Immigration Levels Plan |
| 2023 | 465,000 permanent residents |
| 2024 | 485,000 permanent residents |
| 2025 | 500,000 permanent residents |
Job Trends in Canada, 2023
Canadian businesses are in dire need of employees to fill in their unoccupied job as there are no Canadian residents or Canadian citizens to fill up those. Around 40% of businesses in Canada are facing severe workforce shortages.
Hence the country is looking to bring foreign workers who can be an asset in the country’s economy by immigrating with the currently available economic immigration pathways, provided their occupation must be listed in the workforce shortages.
Some of the provinces are planning to double their immigration allocations. Usually, the vacancies are calculated based on the number of vacant jobs which corresponded with total labor demand. Yet the job vacancies rate is all-time high even in the second quarter which is 5.7%.
The average hourly wages for almost all sectors have increased by 5.3% by the second quarter of 2021. Currently, the average hourly wage is CAD 24.05. Therefore the rise varies from the hourly average wages of all the employees rose by 4.1%.
Read more…
Canada to introduce new fast track program for temporary workers
Optical Communication Engineers, NOC Code (TEER code)
Optical communication engineers also called Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) research, design, plan, develop, modify, integrate and modify computer and telecommunications hardware and related equipment.
They also work on information and communication system networks that include local & wide area networks, mainframe systems, fiber-optic networks, intranets, wireless communication networks, and many other data communication systems.
The optical communication Engineers will be employed by computer and telecommunication hardware manufacturers, manufacturing and telecommunication firms, engineering firms, even information and technology consulting firms, educational and research institutions, governmental organizations, and in the information technology units either by private or public sectors.
The NOC code five-digit code for Optical communication engineer is 21311 as per the new updated NOC 2021 codes. 2016, NOC code is 2147.
Roles and responsibilities of Optical Communication Engineers
- Must be telecommunications hardware engineers.
- Must analyse the user requirements. Design, develop and improve the system architecture and the specifications.
- One of the other responsibilities is to research, design, develop and integrate the hardware of computers and telecommunication like integrated circuit boards, semiconductor lasers, and microprocessors.
- Develop and perform simulations on designs and bench tests on the components of the prototype.
- Have to supervise, examine and give design support for the manufacturing, installation, and implementation of computer and telecommunications hardware.
- Must have healthy relationships with the clients and the suppliers.
- Sometimes might lead and coordinate the engineers, technicians, drafters, and technologists in the design & development team of computer and telecommunication hardware.
- These engineers might specialize in several areas that include analog and digital signal processing, microwaves, radio astronomy, and fiber optics.
- Be a network system and data communication engineer.
- Research, prepare, develop and integrate data communication hardware and software as also communication system network architecture.
- Evaluate, document, and enhance the networks of information and communication system capacity and performance.
Also read…
Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada Seeing Pay Hikes
Canada has a million job vacancies to fill as on April 2022
Prevailing wages of Optical Communication Engineers in Canada
Usually, Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, and Alberta have a frequent requirements for optical communication engineers. The optical engineer’s regular average hourly wage is very high in most provinces ranging from CAD 34.60 to CAD 53.85 per hour.
This range of wages per hour varies between provinces and territories. To get a job as an Optical communication engineer, one must know the requirement in each province and the corresponding wages that are offered.
| Community/Area | Average Wages per annum |
| Canada | 83,308.8 |
| British Columbia | 103,392 |
| Manitoba | 84,921.6 |
| New Brunswick | 66,432 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 66,432 |
| Nova Scotia | 66,432 |
| Ontario | 89,145.6 |
| Quebec | 88,608 |
Eligibility criteria for Optical Communication Engineers
- Optical Communication Engineers need a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering, Electronic or Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or Engineering in Physics.
- A Master’s Degree or Doctoral degree in any engineering discipline.
- A License from a provincial or territorial association of professional engineers is needed to approve the engineering drawings and the reports and to practice as a P.Eng. (Professional Engineer).
- The engineers are eligible for registration by completing graduation from any accredited educational institutional program, 3-4 years of supervised work experience in engineering, and clearing a professional practice examination.
| Location | Job title | Regulation | Regulatory body |
| Alberta | Computer Engineers (except Software Engineers And Designers) | Regulated | Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta |
| British Columbia | Computer Engineers (except Software Engineers And Designers) | Regulated | Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia |
| Manitoba | Computer Engineers (except Software Engineers And Designers) | Regulated | Engineers Geoscientists of Manitoba |
| New Brunswick | Computer Engineers (except Software Engineers And Designers) | Regulated | Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of New Brunswick |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Computer Engineers (except Software Engineers And Designers) | Regulated | Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Northwest Territories | Computer Engineers (except Software Engineers And Designers) | Regulated | Northwest Territories and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists |
| Nova Scotia | Computer Engineers (except Software Engineers And Designers) | Regulated | Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia |
| Nunavut | Computer Engineers (except Software Engineers And Designers) | Regulated | Northwest Territories and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists |
| Ontario | Computer Engineers (except Software Engineers And Designers) | Regulated | Professional Engineers Ontario |
| Prince Edward Island | Computer Engineers (except Software Engineers And Designers) | Regulated | Association of Professional Engineers of Prince Edward Island |
| Québec | Computer Engineers (except Software Engineers And Designers) | Regulated | Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec |
| Saskatchewan | Computer Engineers (except Software Engineers And Designers) | Regulated | Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan |
| Yukon | Computer Engineers (except Software Engineers And Designers) | Regulated | Engineers of Yukon |
Optical Communication Engineers - Number of vacancies in Canada
Currently, Canada has around 112 vacancies across the provinces and territories for Optical Communication Engineers. The list of vacancies is mentioned below in detail.
| Location | Available jobs |
| Alberta | 4 |
| British Columbia | 6 |
| Canada | 56 |
| Manitoba | 1 |
| New Brunswick | 2 |
| Nova Scotia | 6 |
| Ontario | 15 |
| Québec | 20 |
| Saskatchewan | 2 |
*Note: The number of job vacancies may differ. This is given as per the information on October, 2022.
Optical Communication Engineers have different prospects based on their work. Following is the list of titles that come under this occupation.
- Computer Hardware Engineer
- Fibre-Optic Network Designer
- Hardware Circuit board Designer
- Network Test Engineer
- Systems Designer - Hardware
- Wireless Communications Network Engineer
- Telecommunications Hardware Engineer
- Hardware Development Engineer
- Hardware Technical Architect
The Optical Communication Engineers' opportunities for the next 3 years in the provinces and the territories are listed in the following table:
| Location | Job prospects |
| Alberta | Fair |
| British Columbia | Good |
| Manitoba | Fair |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Good |
| Nova Scotia | Good |
| Ontario | Good |
| Quebec | Good |
| Saskatchewan | Good |
How can Optical Communication Engineers migrate to Canada?
Optical Communication engineers are one of the in-demand occupations in Canada for some of the provinces. To migrate as an engineer, in optical communication in Canada, a foreign worker can apply through FSTP, IMP, and TFWP.
Optical Communication Engineers can migrate to Canada through:
- Express Entry
- Alberta PNP
- British Columbia PNP
- Manitoba PNP
- New Brunswick PNP
- Nova Scotia PNP
- Ontario PNP
- Quebec
How Y-Axis can helps an Optical Communication Engineers to immigrate to Canada?
Any individual who has plans to work as an Optical Communication Engineer in Canada needs a Canadian work permit. Through work permit candidates are also eligible for applying Canadian PR visa, which allows foreign workers to live, work and settle in Canada.
Y-Axis offers assistance to find an Optical Communication Engineer job in Canada with the following services.
- Check you eligibility through Canada skilled immigration points calculator
- Job Search Services to find an Optical Communication Engineer job in Canada
- Coaching services for IELTS, GRE or PTE preparation
- Guidance in Resume preparation
- Linked-In marketing services
- Free counselling
- Y-Path to find the right path for your future