Software engineers and designers

Software engineers and designers

NOC
21231

research, design, evaluate, integrate and maintain software applications, technical environments, operating systems, embedded software, information warehouses and telecommunications software.

Quick facts

3-Year Outlook

Moderate
Moderate

3-Year Job Openings

45
 

Median Hourly Wage

$46.39
$30.77
Low
$82.69
High

Average Salary

$98,000
 

Typically Required

University

Employed

1,042
 
Job details

Full NOC Description

Software engineers and designers research, design, evaluate, integrate and maintain software applications, technical environments, operating systems, embedded software, information warehouses and telecommunications software. They are employed in information technology consulting firms, information technology research and development firms, and information technology units throughout the private and public sectors, or they may be self-employed.

Main Duties

    This group performs some or all of the following duties:
  • Collect and document users' requirements and develop logical and physical specifications
  • Research, evaluate and synthesize technical information to design, develop and test computer-based systems including mobile applications
  • Develop data, process and network models to optimize architecture and to evaluate the performance and reliability of designs
  • Plan, design and coordinate the development, installation, integration and operation of computer-based systems including mobile applications
  • Assess, test, troubleshoot, document, upgrade and develop maintenance procedures for operating systems, communications environments and applications software
  • May lead and coordinate teams of information systems professionals in the development of software and integrated information systems, process control software and other embedded software control systems.

Also Known As

  • application architect
  • computer software engineer
  • embedded software designer
  • embedded software engineer
  • software architect
  • software design engineer
  • software design verification engineer
  • software designer
  • software testing engineer
  • telecommunications software engineer
Requirements

Employment Requirements

    A bachelor's degree, usually in computer science, computer systems engineering, software engineering or mathematics or Completion of a college program in computer science is usually required.
  • A master's or doctoral degree in a related 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, three or four years of supervised work experience in engineering, and passing a professional practice examination.
  • Experience as a computer programmer is usually required.

Provincial Regulation

  • Provincially Regulated: Yes
Employment by Gender

The following graph shows the percentage of men and women working in this occupation in New Brunswick.

Data legend

16.4%
Women
83.6%
Men
Employment by age

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by age group.

Data legend

9.5%
15-24
29.1%
25-34
34.8%
35-44
19.6%
45-54
7.0%
55-64
Suppressed
65+
Employment by highest level of education

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by highest level of education achieved.

Data legend

Suppressed
No Certificate, Diploma or Degree
11.9%
High School, Diploma or Equivalent
Suppressed
Apprenticeship or Trades Certificate or Diploma
21.6%
College or University Below Bachelor Level
66.5%
University - Bachelor Level or Above
Employment by Industry

The following graph shows the industry groups in which the largest shares of persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick are employed. Small percentages for all top three industry groups may suggest employment for this occupation is widely distributed amongst many industry groups.

Data legend

65.8%
Professional, scientific and technical services
10.1%
Information and cultural industries
5.1%
Finance and insurance
19.0%
All Other Industries
Employment by Economic Regions

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons employed in this occupation in New Brunswick by which economic region they reside in.

Data legend

3.80%
Northeast
27.20%
Southeast
25.30%
Southwest
42.40%
Central
Suppressed
Northwest
Province of New Brunswick Economic Regions

Economic Regions

The following map displays New Brunswick’s five economic regions. An economic region (ER) is a grouping of counties, created as a standard unit for analysis of regional economic activity across Canada.

Annual Average Salary by Economic Regions

The following graph shows the average salary of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.

Data legend

$85,000
Northeast
$86,000
Southeast
$121,000
Southwest
$90,000
Central
Suppressed
Northwest
Province of New Brunswick Economic Regions

Economic Regions

The following map displays New Brunswick’s five economic regions. An economic region (ER) is a grouping of counties, created as a standard unit for analysis of regional economic activity across Canada.

Hourly Median Wages by Economic Regions

The following represents the median hourly wage of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.

Northeast

$42.66
$30.51
Low
$60.54
High

Southeast

$40.75
$29.58
Low
$62.64
High

Southwest

$43.67
$30.20
Low
$70.63
High

Central

$42.33
$31.13
Low
$68.93
High
No Data Available
Salary

The following shows the average salary of everyone who worked full-time and year-round in this occupation across each of the Atlantic Provinces and nationally.

New Brunswick

$98,000

Newfoundland

$104,000

Prince Edward Island

$96,000

Nova Scotia

$93,600

Canada

$122,900
Employment Outlook

The following represents the number of job openings that are expected to occur in this occupation over the next three and ten years respectively, broken down by openings expected to result from growth (“new jobs”) and openings expected to result from attrition (death and retirements).

Three Year Outlook

Total Openings: 3-Year

45
 

New Jobs: 3-Year

21
 

Retirements/Deaths: 3-Year

23
 

Ten Year Outlook

Total Openings: 10-Year

210
 

New Jobs: 10-Year

72
 

Retirements/Deaths: 10-Year

137