CCQ wage
How much does anexcavator operator earn in Québec?
$44.50 – $51.51 / hour (journeyperson, by sector and class, April 26, 2026)
Hourly rates are set by the collective agreements of Québec's construction industry and vary by sector and class: $44.50–$45.92/h in light residential, $48.05–$49.51/h in heavy residential, $48.32–$51.51/h in institutional-commercial and industrial and $48.03–$50.91/h in civil engineering and roads (journeyperson rate, effective April 26, 2026). Apprentices earn a percentage of that rate depending on their apprenticeship period. Official grids published by the ACQ (residential and institutional-commercial-industrial) and the ACRGTQ (civil engineering and roads).
The trade
Excavator operators run every type of excavator, backhoe, clamshell or dragline crane, and robotic-arm excavator — wheeled or tracked, fixed or mobile — to dig, excavate, load, and move materials on job sites. They read plans and survey markers, maintain their machine, and carry out grading and excavation work, mostly in civil engineering and roads.
Competency card
How to become a CCQ-carded excavator operator.
Excavator operators must hold a CCQ competency card to work on job sites governed by the R-20 Act. The usual path is the DEP in Heavy Equipment Operation (program 5220, 1,095 hours), which grants the apprentice competency certificate (CCA) once you present a job guarantee of at least 150 hours over 3 consecutive months with a CCQ-registered employer. This trade covers a single apprenticeship period of 2,000 hours, after which the apprentice sits the provincial qualification exam (61 questions, 3 hours, 60% pass threshold) to earn the journeyperson competency certificate (CCC). The apprentice-to-journeyperson ratio is 1:1 across all sectors; excavator operators are excluded from the provision that lets a journeyperson supervise two apprentices.
Outlook
The excavator operator market, in 2025.
In 2024, 9,441 excavator operators were active on Quebec job sites and 2,891 companies were hiring — one of the largest operator pools in the industry. The CCQ rates job prospects as 'very good.' The average age of journeypersons is 44.6, and 22% of the workforce is 55 or older, pointing to a coming wave of retirements. Yet only 179 new apprentices were admitted in 2024, below the 2020-2023 annual average of 248 — the pipeline of new talent is slowing just when it needs to speed up. The civil engineering and roads sector accounts for 70% of hours worked, driven by major infrastructure and road projects.
What it takes
The skills in demand.
- Valid CCQ competency certificate (apprentice or journeyperson) — mandatory to work on job sites governed by the R-20 Act
- ASP Construction card (general health and safety on job sites) — required to obtain the CCQ competency certificate
- Completed DEP in Heavy Equipment Operation (5220) or a CCQ-recognized equivalent
- Solid operating skills on excavators, backhoes, and excavating equipment, ability to read plans and survey markers, and routine machine maintenance
- Experience in civil engineering and roads (70% of hours worked) — grading, excavation, and road infrastructure work
Frequently asked questions
The excavator operator trade, plainly.
I have my DEP in heavy equipment operation. How do I get my CCQ card to operate excavators?
With your DEP in Heavy Equipment Operation (5220, 1,095 hours), you can apply for your apprentice competency certificate (CCA) as soon as you have a job guarantee from a CCQ-registered employer — at least 150 hours over 3 consecutive months. Good news: this trade covers just one apprenticeship period of 2,000 hours, shorter than many other construction trades. Once you've logged those hours, you sit the provincial qualification exam (61 questions, 3 hours, 60% pass threshold) to become a journeyperson (CCC). The market is in your favour: in 2024, 9,441 operators were active in Quebec and 2,891 companies were hiring, with job prospects the CCQ rates as very good. That gives you good odds of quickly finding the employer who'll sign your job guarantee.
Which sector will I work in most often as an excavator operator?
In 2024, 70% of hours worked by excavator operators in Quebec were in civil engineering and roads — roads, highways, excavation, and water and infrastructure work. Institutional-commercial follows at 18%, residential at 9%, and industrial at 3%. In practice, you'll spend most of your time digging, excavating, and loading on excavators, backhoes, and excavating equipment, reading plans and survey markers as you go. That concentration in civil engineering also explains the trade's mobility: 18% of operators move between regions to follow major job sites. With 2,891 companies hiring in 2024, opportunities in this dominant sector aren't hard to find, no matter which region you start in.
Is this a good time to get into the excavator operator trade in Quebec?
Yes. The CCQ rates job prospects as very good. In 2024, 9,441 operators were active and 2,891 companies were hiring. The average age of journeypersons is 44.6, and 22% of the workforce is 55 or older, pointing to a number of upcoming retirements and room for new talent. Yet only 179 new apprentices were admitted in 2024, below the 248-per-year average seen between 2020 and 2023 — the replacement pool isn't keeping pace with demand. Once you're a journeyperson, the hourly rate runs between $44.50 and $51.51 depending on sector and class (April 26, 2026). The path is also faster than average, with a single 2,000-hour apprenticeship period before the qualification exam.
Sector breakdown, regional mobility and apprenticeship progression figures are drawn from Commission de la construction du Québec data. Hourly rates: official grids published by the ACQ (residential, institutional-commercial and industrial) and the ACRGTQ (civil engineering and roads), in force since April 26, 2026. acq.org
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