CCA Weekly - August 14, 2012

Labour

Construction Employment Up in July

Despite unemployment increasing in Canada in July, the construction sector saw employment increases of 0.8 per cent, or approximately 10,700 jobs in July when compared to the previous month, according to Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey, July 2012. Read more

Red Seal Report Now Available Online

To respond to labour market needs and enhance skills assessment, the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA) launched the Strengthening the Red Seal initiative in 2009. The goal of the initiative is to explore enhanced occupational standards and methods of assessment in addition to the existing multiple-choice written examination. The CCDA recently completed its report entitled Lessons Learned, Next Steps on the Strengthening the Red Seal consultations and pilot projects. Read more (PDF)

Construction Sector Council Issues Update

The Construction Sector Council (CSC) has issued an update on its new structure and its plans for publishing future Labour Market Information (LMI) reports including the release date for LMI 2013. Read more (PDF)

Infrastructure

Survey Finds Political Risk and Financing Key Challenges Facing Infrastructure Industry

According to a Marsh survey, more than half (53%) of infrastructure industry professionals surveyed said that political risk in North America is a significant factor in making infrastructure investment decisions, and a significant majority (85%) said the industry needs better tools for identifying, quantifying, and mitigating project risk. Read more

Economy

Building Permits Decline in June

The total value of building permits fell 2.5% to $6.8 billion in June, following a 7.1% increase in May. The decline was largely the result of a decrease in the non-residential and residential sectors in Alberta and British Columbia. Read more