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Windsor Trades Jobs in 2026: NextStar Goes Live, Stellantis Holds the Line
Windsor trades hiring guide — NextStar Energy battery plant grand opening 2026, Stellantis Windsor Assembly Plant, Automotive Research and Development Centre, Gordie Howe Bridge wrap-up, Skilled Trades Ontario framework, and wage ranges.
Free for workers · city-specific hiring context
Windsor is Canada's auto manufacturing capital. Stellantis Windsor Assembly Plant (formerly Chrysler Windsor) has been building cars on the south end of the city since 1928. The Gordie Howe International Bridge — North America's longest cable-stayed bridge — is approaching completion. And the largest new manufacturing investment in Canadian history just opened: NextStar Energy, a $5 billion battery plant on Twin Oaks Drive, had its grand opening in March 2026.
For tradespeople, Windsor in 2026 is a city pivoting from EV optimism to a more realistic mix of EV and energy-storage battery work — plus the steady underlying drumbeat of automotive maintenance and tooling work that's never really stopped.
What's actually hiring in Windsor right now
NextStar Energy battery plant. Held its grand opening on March 5, 2026. As of that point, NextStar had hired roughly 1,300 of a planned 2,500 employees. The facility is 4.23 million square feet on Twin Oaks Drive near Banwell and E.C. Row. The market for EVs softened during construction, and in early 2026 Stellantis sold its 49% stake to LG Energy Solution. The plant has pivoted to focus more on energy storage system (ESS) battery cells alongside EV cells — partly driven by demand from AI data centres needing grid stability. Production technicians, electricians, instrumentation, and skilled trades maintenance are all on continuous hiring.
Stellantis Windsor Assembly Plant. The Windsor minivan plant is being retooled to produce both internal-combustion and battery-electric variants. Tooling, production line conversion, and ongoing maintenance work for industrial trades. Tradespeople here are largely Unifor Local 444.
Stellantis Automotive Research and Development Centre (ARDC). Expanded by 650 staff to a total of 800 as part of the Canadian EV battery investment. Building services, lab support, electrical engineering test infrastructure.
Gordie Howe International Bridge. The cable-stayed bridge between Windsor and Detroit is approaching completion. Bridging North America (a Fluor-led consortium) is the constructor. Final commissioning, customs plaza fitout, approach roads — civil, mechanical, and electrical wrap-up trades through 2026.
Auto supply chain belt. Magna, Linamar, Martinrea, Flex-N-Gate, ZF — Windsor and Essex County have one of the densest auto parts supply belts in North America. Tooling, die maintenance, industrial millwright and electrician work runs continuously across the cluster.
Hospital — Windsor Regional and the new Mega-Hospital. A new acute-care hospital is being planned for Windsor, with the planning and procurement phase active. Windsor Regional Hospital and Hôtel-Dieu continue regular capital work.
Top trades in demand in Windsor
- Industrial Electrician (442A) — Battery plant maintenance, auto plant maintenance, tier-1 parts supplier facilities. The single most in-demand trade in Windsor. Electrician Windsor | electrician resume guide.
- Industrial Millwright (433A) — Auto plant maintenance, tooling and die work, conveyor and assembly line work. Millwright Windsor | millwright resume guide.
- Construction Electrician (309A) — Hospital, commercial, bridge plaza, residential.
- Tool and Die Maker (430A) — Tool shops, stamping plants, auto cluster. Older trade with retirements driving steady demand.
- General Machinist (429A) — Auto parts, tooling, custom machining shops.
- Pipefitter/Steamfitter (307A) — Hospital, commercial, industrial. Pipefitter Windsor | pipefitter resume guide.
- Refrigeration & AC Mechanic (313A) — Battery plant climate control, hospital, commercial. HVAC Windsor | HVAC resume guide.
- Sheet Metal Worker (308A) — Commercial HVAC, auto plant ductwork.
- Welder (456A) — Structural, automotive, custom fabrication. Welder Windsor | welder resume guide.
- Plumber (306A) — Hospital, commercial, residential. Plumber Windsor | plumber resume guide.
- Heavy Equipment Operator (636A) — Bridge approach civil, ICI site work. HEO Windsor | HEO resume guide.
- Carpenter (403A) — Form work, hospital, ICI. Carpenter Windsor | carpenter resume guide.
- Instrumentation & Control (447A) — Battery plant process controls, auto plant automation, tier-1 supplier instrumentation.
How Ontario certification works (Windsor edition)
Skilled Trades Ontario administers the system under the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act. C of Q for compulsory trades and certifying voluntary trades. Red Seal endorsement available on most.
For the auto manufacturing cluster specifically:
- PLC programming experience (Siemens, Allen-Bradley) is the difference-maker for industrial electricians
- Robotics maintenance for industrial millwrights and electricians — Fanuc, ABB, KUKA are common
- Lithium battery safety training — for NextStar and any battery handling work
- WHMIS 2015, fall protection, confined space, lockout-tagout, arc flash
- CWB welding tickets for structural welders
Auto plants are heavily union — Unifor for Stellantis Windsor Assembly, IBEW and UA for construction. The NextStar plant ratified its first collective agreement and is also unionized.
What you'll earn in Windsor
Hourly base ranges from Job Bank's Windsor–Sarnia Region wage report unless noted. Auto plant direct employment with overtime and shift premiums can sit above the market range; tier-1 parts suppliers and ICI often sit closer to the median.
| Trade | Windsor hourly range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial Electrician (442A) | $32.00–$42.00 (median $38.25) | NOC 72201; auto and battery maintenance experience matters |
| Industrial Millwright (433A) | $23.42–$55.00 (median $35.57) | NOC 72400; auto plant, tooling and conveyor work |
| Construction Electrician (309A) | $20.00–$54.70 (median $35.00) | NOC 72200; IBEW Local 773 context |
| Tool and Die Maker (430A) | $19.00–$52.00 (median $29.00) | NOC 72101; skilled and aging trade |
| General Machinist (429A) | $22.00–$40.00 (median $28.50) | NOC 72100; machining and tooling inspectors row |
| Pipefitter/Steamfitter (307A) | $30.59–$58.85 (median $50.99) | NOC 72301; UA Local 552 context |
| Refrigeration & AC (313A) | $23.65–$48.68 (median $33.64) | NOC 72402; battery plant climate control, hospital and commercial |
| Sheet Metal Worker (308A) | $21.06–$48.00 (median $31.05) | NOC 72102; commercial HVAC and plant ductwork |
| Welder (456A) | $20.00–$38.00 (median $25.50) | NOC 72106; CWB tickets can exceed the regional median |
| Plumber (306A) | $20.00–$50.38 (median $32.50) | NOC 72300; hospital, commercial and residential |
| Heavy Equipment Operator (636A) | $25.00–$43.00 (median $37.00) | NOC 73400; bridge approach civil and ICI site work |
| Carpenter (403A) | $22.00–$38.00 (median $30.00) | NOC 72310; form work, hospital and ICI |
| Instrumentation & Control (447A) | $35.00–$56.00 (median $44.00) | NOC 22312; Windsor–Sarnia row not published, so Ontario Job Bank wage row used |
Source: Job Bank — Windsor–Sarnia Region wage report (geo27233), updated November 19, 2025. Job Bank reports by economic region rather than municipal boundary; values above are low–high with median shown in parentheses. Instrumentation & Control uses the Ontario Job Bank wage row because the Windsor–Sarnia NOC 22312 row is not published.
Auto plant direct hire (Stellantis Windsor Assembly under Unifor Local 444) follows the Master Agreement and base rates can sit at or above the top of these ranges with pension and full benefits.
Who's hiring: contractors active in Windsor
For NextStar: direct hire continues. Battery production technicians, electricians, instrumentation, maintenance trades. The plant trains through internal programs including the Battery Boost program (Invest WindsorEssex and Palette Skills partnership) using virtual reality simulation.
For Stellantis Windsor Assembly: direct hire (Unifor Local 444 represented) plus on-site contractors — Modern Niagara, Black & McDonald, Comstock Canada, Aecon Industrial.
For Gordie Howe Bridge wrap-up: Bridging North America — Fluor-led consortium with ACS Infrastructure Canada and Aecon.
For auto supplier cluster: Magna, Linamar, Martinrea, Flex-N-Gate, ZF direct hire. On-site mechanical and electrical contractors include Aecon Industrial, Modern Niagara, CIMCO Refrigeration, Black & McDonald.
For hospital and ICI: EllisDon, PCL Constructors Canada, Aecon Buildings, Bird Construction, Stuart Olson.
For civil and bridge approach: Aecon Civil, Walsh Construction, Bot Construction, Coco Group, Amico, Facca Inc. (Windsor-based).
For tool and die shops: a long tail of Windsor and Essex County specialty machine shops, many family-owned and union-organized.
The Windsor nuance
Windsor's trades market is the most automotive-specific in Canada. A journeyperson here will spend a career fluent in production line work, robotic cell maintenance, hydraulic press service, and the rhythms of model-year retooling. That skill set transfers north to Brampton (also Stellantis), south to Detroit if you have border eligibility, and to any battery or EV plant building out in Canada or the US.
The NextStar pivot toward energy storage is significant. It means the plant's long-term workforce will look more like a high-mix battery and ESS facility than a pure EV cell plant. The skill set is similar, but the customer base broadens — utilities, data centre operators, and ESS integrators on top of Stellantis EV programs. For tradespeople, that's a more diversified, more durable employer than the original single-customer pitch.
Where to start
Windsor industrial recruiters filter on Red Seal endorsement, automotive specialty experience (PLC, robotics, tooling, automotive paint, body-in-white), and battery plant or EV manufacturing experience. Surface those near the top of your resume.
Drop your resume into your TradeCraft profile. We auto-extract your trade, tickets, employer history (including auto plant and supplier names), and specialty experience. Windsor recruiters — especially in the auto and battery cluster — search by exact-match on plant name and trade.