Election 2008
Skills Shortages
Like many other industries in Canada, the construction sector is facing unprecedented labour and skills shortages due primarily to an aging workforce and Canada’s outstanding economic growth. In response, the industry has aggressively promoted careers within the sector to youth and traditionally under-represented groups such as women and Aboriginals. However, even with these aggressive recruitment efforts, it continues to face a significant labour shortage. According to the most recent Labour Market Information report produced by the Construction Sector Council, the construction industry in Canada will need to recruit more than 250,000 new people to the industry over the next 7 years, an increase of nearly 22 percent over the current workforce, just to keep pace with retirement rates and rising demand.
To achieve this goal, the CCA believes Canada must increase the number of domestic trained workers and reform the immigration selection system to facilitate the entry of workers with experience in the sector.
Labour Market Training
CCA has always believed that growing the domestic labour pool is the preferred method of addressing the sector’s skills shortage and that Canada’s community college system is a key part of that effort. To achieve this goal, Canada must ensure that our community colleges are well funded, modern and accessible to those seeking careers in construction.
Improving Community Colleges
The federal government has long supported investments in post-secondary institutions. In fact, federal investments in the 1960s led to the expansion of the college system throughout Canada. Today, Canadian colleges are dramatically underfunded, over-subscribed and poorly equipped to train the skilled workforce required by our modern economy. To overcome this challenge, the CCA calls upon the federal government to demonstrate the same leadership and financial commitment it showed in addressing a similar problem with Canadian universities earlier in the decade.
Recommendations:
- The CCA recommends that the federal government begin recapitalizing community colleges by working in partnership with provincial governments to better apportion educational funding.
- The CCA also recommends that the federal government create a college infrastructure fund to allow community colleges to upgrade equipment, hire new professors and expand where necessary to reduce enrolment waiting lists.
Immigration
Canadian immigration policies do not adequately address the needs of employers dependant upon skilled labour. The heart of the problem is an enduring immigration selection system that awards points based on levels of educational attainment. Applicants with university degrees receive substantially more points than their less educated counterparts, regardless of other factors such as skills or domestic demand for professional construction labour. Furthermore, maximum points are awarded for proficiency in both official languages, which is largely unattained by most skilled trades people. Arranged employment only counts for 10 points on the scoring system, even though the premise of the selection system is to fill labour gaps in Canada and ensure the rapid integration of new immigrants into the economy.
While CCA is pleased with the recent introduction of the Canadian Experience Class category, far more needs to be done to reform the immigration system and ensure Canada is able to compete with other countries for the best and brightest skilled immigrants.
Recommendations:
- The point system should be reformed to put greater emphasis on experience and arranged employment in the selection process.
- CCA also recommends that construction workers be included in a Seasonal Worker Program.
top of the page