Reports · Agricultural Equipment Technician (Red Seal)
TRADE REPORT · LAST VERIFIED 2026-08-10
Agricultural Equipment Technician (425A) Wages & Outlook in Canada — Trade Report
Also known as: 425A, ag mechanic, farm equipment mechanic.
A sourced snapshot of the agricultural equipment technician (red seal) trade in Canada: pay, demand, the certification route, and the exam's real structure — each figure dated and linked back to where it came from.
The trade in 30 seconds
This trade employed about 70,600 people across Canada as of 2023 (NOC 72401 (Job Bank/COPS group 72401 is heavy-duty equipment mechanics as a whole; the stats are not agricultural-only)) [2]. Trade certification is voluntary in Newfoundland & Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia; not offered in Quebec, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut. [4]
Practice Agricultural Equipment Technician (Red Seal) free →
What you'll earn
Per Job Bank (reference period 2023-2024), the national median hourly wage is $37.12/hour, with a spread from $23.87 to $55.00 [1]. The published spread runs from $28.00/hour in Prince Edward Island to $53.00/hour in Nunavut.
Median hourly wage by province/territory, highest to lowest
View exact numbers
| Province / territory | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Nunavut | $53.00 | $36.00–$55.00 |
| Northwest Territories | $52.22 | $32.87–$82.01 |
| British Columbia | $45.00 | $27.00–$55.50 |
| Yukon | $44.17 | $30.34–$56.86 |
| Alberta | $42.00 | $23.50–$65.00 |
| Newfoundland & Labrador | $39.63 | $23.87–$55.85 |
| Saskatchewan | $37.00 | $22.50–$51.50 |
| Manitoba | $35.00 | $23.75–$48.00 |
| Ontario | $35.00 | $22.00–$51.19 |
| Quebec | $33.00 | $24.00–$47.00 |
| Nova Scotia | $31.26 | $20.00–$41.00 |
| New Brunswick | $29.00 | $20.00–$40.20 |
| Prince Edward Island | $28.00 | $19.00–$38.46 |
Source: Job Bank wage report, NOC 72401, updated 2025-11-19 [1]. The same page shows 92.5% of the national workforce here also gets a non-wage benefit.
Because the Red Seal travels between provinces, the wage spread above is genuinely useful for anyone already certified and weighing a move.
Where the jobs are
Canada's own 10-year projection for this trade reads: strong risk of labour shortage, 2024-2033, at the national level (group level) [3] The workforce is 26% aged 50 or older, with a median retirement age of 63 [2]. Most work is in wholesale trade 22%; repair, personal and household services 20%; construction 16% (group level; top-3 partial breakdown — does not sum to 100%) [3].
Why openings exist
expansion ~38%; replacement ~62% (of which ~77% retirements) — group level.
Job Bank 3-year employment outlook by province
View as a table
| Rating | Provinces |
|---|---|
| Good | Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Nunavut |
| Moderate | Newfoundland & Labrador, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories |
| Limited | British Columbia |
Source: Job Bank outlook report, NOC 72401, updated 2025-12-10 [2].
The path to Red Seal
Total apprenticeship hours, by jurisdiction
- 7,200 total hours in PE/NS/NB/MB/SK/AB
- Ontario 7,000
- NL and BC certify voluntarily via the challenge route only (no hours-based program listed)
- Quebec and the territories list no program
Source: interjurisdictional apprenticeship comparison [4].
Already in the trade but skipped formal apprenticeship?
Challenge / trade-qualifier hours, by jurisdiction
- 10,800 in NL/PE/NS/NB/MB/SK
- 9,360 AB
- 8,790 BC
- 7,000 ON
- no route in QC/YT/NT/NU
Source: interjurisdictional apprenticeship comparison [4].
Money on the table: the federal Team Canada Strong package includes: $6B plan to recruit 80,000-100,000 new Red Seal trades workers over five years; $400/week Apprenticeship Training Grant during in-class technical training, worth up to $16,000 per apprentice, in addition to EI; one-time $5,000 Red Seal completion bonus. amounts are 'up to' figures; first payments expected no earlier than fall 2026; core funding starts 2026-27 [9]
- No jurisdiction makes certification compulsory — this is a voluntary ticket everywhere it exists, unusual among Red Seal motive-power trades [4]
- Heavy-Duty Equipment Technician is a separate Red Seal ticket inside the same NOC group (72401) — Job Bank and COPS statistics blend the two trades
The exam — and what to study most
This trade is tested with 125 questions, pass mark 70% [8], writing time four hours [5]. Not every block counts the same — here's the real, official breakdown of where marks live:
Official exam weightings, highest to lowest
Sorted highest to lowest — Diagnoses and repairs electrical and electronic systems (top) carries the most marks on its own (19%).
View exact numbers
| Block | Share of exam | ≈ Questions |
|---|---|---|
| E — Diagnoses and repairs electrical and electronic systems | 19% | — |
| D — Diagnoses and repairs hydraulic, hydrostatic and pneumatic systems | 17% | — |
| H — Diagnoses and repairs agricultural equipment | 15% | — |
| B — Diagnoses and repairs engines and engine support systems | 14% | — |
| C — Diagnoses and repairs drive trains | 13% | — |
| F — Diagnoses and repairs steering, brakes and suspensions | 11% | — |
| G — Diagnoses and repairs structural components and operator stations | 6% | — |
| A — Performs common occupational skills | 5% | — |
Source: Red Seal exam information [5].
The takeaway: Diagnoses and repairs electrical and electronic systems makes up 19% of the exam by itself. Don't guess where you're weak — a block-scored diagnostic run will tell you. Try a free diagnostic on Agricultural Equipment Technician (Red Seal) →
Practice against the same standard
Question Bank Hub's agricultural equipment technician (red seal) bank is written to the same Red Seal standard the exam draws from, organized by the same blocks — so your practice scores map to the weightings above. The first questions are free, full explanations included, no account needed. The full bank runs 600 questions.
Practice Agricultural Equipment Technician (Red Seal) free →
The best links
- red-seal.ca — Official Red Seal Agricultural Equipment Technician standard: overview and trade pages.
- red-seal.ca — The exam's real structure from the source: 125 questions and the question-type mix.
- red-seal.ca — The official block weightings — what the exam actually asks about, and how much of it.
- www.jobbank.gc.ca — Government of Canada wage data by province (2023-2024 LFS).
- www.jobbank.gc.ca — Job Bank: three-year prospects by province plus the ten-year national outlook.
- occupations.esdc.gc.ca — COPS 2024-2033 (NOC 72401 group): projected openings, seekers, and what drives them.
- ellischart.ca — Ellis Chart (ESDC): apprenticeship hours and certification status in all 13 jurisdictions.
- red-seal.ca — The official exam guide: 70% pass mark, four-hour writing time, question style.
Sources
- Job Bank — Wages: Agricultural Equipment Technician (NOC 72401). Data period 2023-2024; updated 2025-11-19. Accessed 2026-08-10.
- Job Bank — Outlook (NOC 72401). updated 2025-12-10. Accessed 2026-08-10.
- ESDC — Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) 2024-2033. Accessed 2026-08-10.
- Ellis Chart (ESDC) — interjurisdictional apprenticeship comparison. Accessed 2026-08-10.
- Red Seal — exam information. Accessed 2026-08-10.
- Red Seal — exam weightings. Accessed 2026-08-10.
- Official Red Seal Agricultural Equipment Technician standard: overview and trade pages. Accessed 2026-08-10.
- The official exam guide: 70% pass mark, four-hour writing time, question style. Accessed 2026-08-10.
- Prime Minister's Office — Team Canada Strong announcement. updated 2026-04-29. Accessed 2026-08-10.
This page is informational only. The wage and outlook figures are Government of Canada data as of the periods stated, and they do change — follow the links above for the current numbers.