Statistics Canada released its 2024 apprenticeship figures on 2025-12-11. The Daily reported 101,541 new registrations in 2024, up 5.9% and the highest since the series began in 2008, while certifications edged up 1.0% to 46,971. The release named plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters among the trade groups behind registration gains in Alberta and British Columbia, and behind BC's certification growth.
The national picture
The short answer: more people are starting apprenticeships, but completions have not caught up.
| Measure (2024) | Figure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| New registrations | 101,541 | +5.9%, a series record |
| Certifications | 46,971 | +1.0%, still 9.6% below pre-pandemic |
| Certification rate | 19.9% | +1.1 points (20.9% in 2019) |
| Continuation rate | 49.2% | −0.8 points |
| Discontinuation rate | 30.9% | −0.3 points |
Registrations rose or held steady in 16 of 24 major trade groups. The fastest growth was in interior finishing, hairstyling and esthetics, and construction work. Certifications grew most since the pandemic for heavy duty equipment mechanics and for refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics.
Where plumbing stood out
The release does not publish a separate plumbing number in its text, so we won't invent one. What it does say:
- In Alberta and British Columbia, plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters contributed to registration gains.
- In British Columbia, the same trade group was a main driver of a 12.9% rise in certifications.
- Certifications fell in Saskatchewan (−5.3%), Alberta (−3.8%), Ontario (−0.9%) and Quebec (−0.6%), and rose in PEI (+19.6%), Newfoundland and Labrador (+19.4%) and Nova Scotia (+7.8%), across all trades.
For BC employers, that lines up with the exam change we covered in BC Red Seal exams and the 2023 standard: more candidates are reaching the final exam.
What the gap means for a plumbing company
A record intake with flat completions tells an owner two things. Apprentices are available to hire, and keeping them through to certification is the hard part.
Roughly half of apprentices continue in a given year and about three in ten discontinue, according to the pathway indicators. Each one who leaves takes your training investment with them. A few practical responses:
- Track your own numbers. How many apprentices did you start in the last three years, and how many certified with you?
- Plan school blocks into your schedule so technical training doesn't collide with your busiest season.
- Make the path visible. A plain page explaining wages by level, mentoring and exam support helps recruit and retain.
- Recognise certification publicly once it happens, with the person's permission. The Red Seal Program endorsement is a fact customers understand.
What the release doesn't tell you
Read the numbers with their limits in mind. The figures cover registered apprentices in all trades, and the release names trade groups in its text only where they drove a change. There is no plumbing-only registration or certification count in the release itself, so any article giving one should point to the specific table it came from.
The data is also a year behind by design. The December 2025 release describes 2024, so it tells you about the apprentices who are now in their second or third year, not about this year's intake. If you are planning hiring for 2027, it is a background signal, not a forecast.
Finally, provincial shifts mix many trades together. Alberta's 3.8% drop in certifications, for example, covers every trade in the province. A plumbing employer in Calgary should treat it as context and look harder at local signals: how many applications a job post draws, how long it takes to fill a position, and how many of last year's hires are still with you.
A useful exercise is to calculate the cost of losing one apprentice. Add the wages paid during the first months when the apprentice is mostly learning, the journeyperson time spent mentoring, and the cost of recruiting again. Even a rough figure tends to make the case for spending a little more on retention and on an honest careers page.
Recruitment pages are search pages
People looking for a plumbing apprenticeship search the same way customers do: by trade and by town. "Plumbing apprenticeship Kelowna" or "plumber apprentice jobs Halifax" are real searches, and most local plumbing websites have nothing that answers them.
That gap is cheap to fill. A careers page with real information, a Google Business Profile that mentions you hire apprentices, and job posts that link back to your site will reach people your competitors miss. Our plumbing websites service includes careers pages, and our coverage pages, such as Alberta, list the apprenticeship authority in each province. The newsroom has every story we have verified so far.
Frequently asked questions
How many new apprentices registered in Canada in 2024?
Statistics Canada counted 101,541 new registrations in 2024, up 5.9% from 2023 and a record for a series that starts in 2008.
Did more apprentices finish?
Not much. Certifications were 46,971, up 1.0% and still 9.6% below pre-pandemic levels. The certification rate was 19.9%.
What did the release say about plumbers?
It did not give separate plumber figures, but it named plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters among the trade groups behind registration gains in Alberta and British Columbia and behind certification growth in BC.