Industrial and manufacturing engineers
High opportunity occupation
Career Overview
Industrial and manufacturing engineers:
- Carry out studies, and develop and supervise programs to best use equipment, human resources, technology, materials and procedures to improve efficiency and productivity
- Work for consulting firms; manufacturing and processing companies; government; financial, health care and other institutions; or they may be self-employed
Job Titles
Duties
Industrial and manufacturing engineers perform some or all of the following duties:
- Plan and design plant layouts and facilities
- Study new machinery and facilities, and recommend or select efficient combinations
- Develop flexible or combined manufacturing systems and procedures
- Carry out studies and put into use programs to determine the best inventory levels for production, and the best use of machinery, materials and resources
- Analyze costs of production
- Design, develop and carry out time studies and work simplification programs
- Determine human resource and skill requirements and develop training programs
- Develop performance standards, evaluation systems and wage and incentive programs
- Carry out studies of the reliability and performance of plant facilities and production or administrative systems
- Develop maintenance standards, schedules and programs
- Create programs and carry out studies to improve industrial health and safety or to identify and correct fire and other hazards
- Evaluate industrial facilities
- Supervise technicians, technologists, analysts, administrative staff and other engineers
Earnings
Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.
Work Environment
# Workers Employed
1,295% Employed Full Time
79%Work in this occupation is typically performed in a structured environment, such as an office or hospital.
Career Pathways
Industrial engineers develop and put into use organizational and management systems, while manufacturing engineers design production processes. There is considerable mobility between industrial engineering specializations at the less senior levels, and engineers often work in a multidisciplinary environment and acquire knowledge and skills through work experience that may allow them to work in associated areas of science, engineering, administration or management.
Related Careers
Occupational Interests
It’s important to understand what kinds of occupations align with your interests.
For more about occupational interests visit Skills for the Future Workforce > Characteristics.
Here are the top occupational interest(s) for this career profile:
Education, Training and Skills
- A bachelor's degree in industrial engineering or in a related engineering discipline is required
- A master's degree or doctorate in a related engineering discipline may be required
- Licensing by a provincial or territorial association of professional engineers is required to approve engineering drawings and reports and to practise as a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.)
- Engineers are eligible for registration following graduation from an accredited educational program, and after three or four years of supervised work experience in engineering and passing a professional practice examination
Education programs in B.C.
The following program areas are related to this occupation:
- Electrical, Electronic & Communications Engineering
- Engineering Science
Skills
Every job calls for a certain set of skills. Knowing those skills is the first step in finding a good career fit.
Here, you will find the 10 most relevant workplace skills. Some are more important to achieving success in a certain career than others. These skills may come naturally to you or you may need to gain them through education, training and experience.
See the list of work-related skills below, ranked in order of importance for this career. Check out the list and see if this career matches your skills—take that first step!
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Talking to others to share information effectively.
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Being able to solve novel, ill-defined problems in complex, real-world settings.
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Keeping track of and assessing your performance, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, while meeting the goals of the system.
Understanding how new information could be used to solve current and future problems in making decisions.
Labour Market Statistics
Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.
Employment
Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.
Employment
1,295Employment by Region
| Region | Employment | % Employment of this Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 0 | 0.0% |
| Kootenay | 40 | 3.1% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 1,085 | 83.5% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 0 | 0.0% |
| Northeast | 0 | 0.0% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 55 | 4.2% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 110 | 8.5% |
Labour Market Outlook
The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.
Forecasted Job Openings (2024-2034)
570Forecasted Job Openings
Forecasted Employment Growth Rate
Composition of Job Openings
Job Openings by Region (2024-2034)
| Region | Job Openings | Avg. Annual Employment Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | Not available | Not available |
| Kootenay | 10 | 0.7% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 510 | 1.8% |
| North Coast and Nechako | Not available | Not available |
| Northeast | Not available | Not available |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 20 | 2.5% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 30 | 1.0% |
Industry Highlights
Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.
Forecasted Job Openings by Industry
| Industry | Job Openings (2024-2034) |
|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | 250 |
| Manufacturing | 190 |
| Construction | 30 |
| Wholesale Trade | 20 |
| Retail Trade | 20 |
Resources
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Association of Consulting Engineering Companies of British Columbia (ACEC-BC)www.acec-bc.ca
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Canadian Technology Immigration Network (CTIN)www.ctin.ca
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Engineering Careerswww.engineeringcareers.ca
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Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC)www.eic-ici.ca
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Engineers & Geoscientists BCwww.egbc.ca
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Engineers Canadawww.engineerscanada.ca
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Institute of Industrial Engineers – Career Centercareers.iise.org
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Institute of Industrial Engineers (IISE)www.iienet2.org/default.aspx
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Iranian Engineers of British Columbia Association (IEBCA)www.iebca.ca/
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Society of Punjabi Engineers and Technologists of British Columbia (SPEATBC)www.speatbc.org
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Technology Registrations Canada (TRC)www.technologyregistrationscanada.ca
