By Carly McHugh
Each year, we ask our readers to weigh in on their careers and the current state of the industry. Questions range from experience and education, job satisfaction, and income to company profits and an outlook on today’s signage market. The results usually differ to a degree, compared to the previous year. However, there is still the possibility for some interesting surprises to reveal themselves.
These answers offer insight on the current state of Canada’s sign industry,
as well as provide foresight into what we can expect on the horizon.
The following are the collected results of our 17th annual survey, submitted anonymously, along with the trends they revealed for the past year and beyond.
Basic demographics
Responses came in from coast-to-coast, with Ontario once again leading the charge, followed by British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec. The number of respondents from Manitoba was up 2.9 per cent from 2022.
The survey also shows the industry continues to be dominated by men, who make up more than three-quarters of responses. However, this number has decreased by 4.6 per cent compared to last year. The majority of respondents were in the 50-plus age group, while 40.3 per cent were under the age of 50. Those between the ages of 35 and 49 decreased to 31.2 per cent, compared to 38.7 per cent in 2022, while the number of respondents in the 25 to 29 age group grew from 1.4 per cent to 2.6 per cent.
The relationship between experience and career path
The survey data shows half of all respondents have at least two decades of experience in the industry. In fact, those who have more than 30 years of experience represented the largest group (26 per cent). The number of respondents who have been in the industry for less than 15 years saw a 0.7 per cent decrease compared to last year. However, the amount of people who have been in the industry for 10 to 14 years increased by a full three per cent compared to 2022.
In an interesting turn of events, the largest increase in tenure was from those who had been with their current company for less than five years. Over the previous two years, this increase was seen among 25- to 30-year veterans in the industry.
Further, the number of respondents who have been with their current company for more than 20 years decreased from 37.1 per cent in 2022 to 32.9 per cent in 2023—a difference of 4.2 per cent.
Who are you?
Sign Media Canada provides leaders in the industry with the latest news, products, services, and techniques related to their craft. The magazine has a huge following—from business owners and signmakers to installers and fabricators. Once again, the largest number of respondents selected “owner” as their job description. This was followed by sales executive/project manager, graphic designer, and signmaker/designer/fabricator. A good number of respondents also had jobs which best fit into the “other” category.
Who makes what?
Three-quarters of the sign industry workers surveyed earn $60,000 or more per year. The number of respondents in this group is up 19.1 per cent compared to last year.
