Offshore pay vs. the other resource-industry niches

For offshore specifically, see our own pay page for day rates by role (toolpusher, driller, roughneck, production operator, and more) and how many hitches a year that adds up to -- this page is about how offshore as a whole stacks up against the other camp and resource-industry niches. Government of Canada Job Bank wage reports publish a low, median, and high hourly wage per occupation, drawn from Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey and Employment Insurance survey data. The table below picks the closest matching occupation for each niche and links directly to that report. Figures aren't a perfect 1:1 comparison across niches -- occupations, skill requirements, and certification demands differ, and the offshore row is the weakest match of the seven since Job Bank has no offshore- specific occupation code at all -- but they're the same independent government source applied the same way to all seven.

Reference period for all rows: 2023-2024 data, updated by Job Bank on November 19, 2025. The pipeline row uses an Alberta-specific figure (where pipeline construction work is concentrated); every other row, including offshore, is a national Canada-wide figure -- meaning the offshore row blends onshore and offshore well-testing work across the whole country, not Newfoundland's platforms specifically.

Job Bank simply does not publish a distinct occupation code for offshore Atlantic platform work. The closest available match, Well Testing Operator (NOC 83101 group), is a real Job Bank occupation, and its $47.12/hour median is a real, sourced, dated figure -- but it's a national figure covering onshore and offshore well-testing work everywhere in Canada, not a Newfoundland-specific number, and "well testing operator" is only one of many offshore roles to begin with (see our own jobs page for the fuller list: production operators, drillers, roughnecks, electricians, and more). Treat this row as directional, not precise -- a signal that offshore work sits in a similar pay range to mining and pipeline work by this one imperfect proxy, not a confirmed number for what an offshore job in Newfoundland actually pays. Our own pay page, built from offshore-specific day-rate industry estimates by role, is the better source for that.

What about ice road trucking?

Ice road trucking is a distinct seasonal niche entirely separate from this table, not a version of the long-haul trucking row above. It's concentrated into a short winter season (roughly January-March), commonly paid per load or per trip rather than an annual hourly wage, and Job Bank doesn't publish a separate occupation code for it either. Rather than force a number that doesn't exist, see Ice Road Guide's own pay page for how ice road pay actually works.

Each of these sister sites covers its own niche in the same working-class, sourced style as this site: Long-Haul Trucking Guide (long-haul trucking), Oil Sands Jobs Guide (oil sands), Underground Mining Guide (mining), Pipeline Work Guide (pipeline), Forestry & Logging Guide (forestry), and Commercial Fishing Guide (commercial fishing) -- plus Ice Road Guide for ice road trucking.

Sources

• Job Bank -- Well Testing Operator (NOC 83101 group), Canada -- closest available occupation, not offshore-specific — accessed 2026-09-08, wages updated November 19, 2025.
• Job Bank -- Long Haul Truck Driver (NOC 73300), Canada — accessed 2026-09-08, wages updated November 19, 2025.
• Job Bank -- Heavy Equipment Operator (NOC 73400), Canada — accessed 2026-09-08, wages updated November 19, 2025.
• Job Bank -- Miner (NOC 83100), Canada — accessed 2026-09-08, wages updated November 19, 2025.
• Job Bank -- Pipefitter (NOC 72301), Alberta — accessed 2026-09-08, wages updated November 19, 2025.
• Job Bank -- Operator, Skidder - Logging (NOC 84110 group), Canada -- closest available occupation — accessed 2026-09-08, wages updated November 19, 2025.
• Job Bank -- Fisherman/woman (NOC 83121), Canada — accessed 2026-09-08, wages updated November 19, 2025.