Labour shortage hampering construction industry’s ability to drive even greater growth for Canada
The November release of Statistics Canada’s latest census data confirmed the value of construction as one of the top three sectors driving job growth in the Canadian economy, yet severe labour shortages are preventing the industry from contributing even more to the economy and quality of life of Canadians.
While census data showed there were 9.2 per cent more construction workers in 2021 versus 2016, with a total of 1.3 million Canadian employed in the sector, there are still over 93,000 open jobs that the industry is struggling to fill nationwide.
Governments appreciate the value of infrastructure investment yet have been slow to respond to the industry’s call to address workforce issues. With an aging infrastructure, the need to green our buildings, bridges, roads and sewer systems and invest in health and trade enabling infrastructure, the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) has been working on several initiatives to Rebuild Canada’s workforce NOW. These include urging the federal government to modernize Canada’s immigration policies, work with the provinces and territories to ensure skills matching is well aligned between jurisdictions and update the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
This should all be guided by a long-term, national infrastructure plan, which continues to be sorely lacking.
Data from Statistics Canada also revealed that there are fewer working-age people with apprenticeships in key construction trades in 2021 compared with five years earlier. The demand for skilled trades is expected to rise in the next decade as baby boomers march towards retirement and the industry is working hard to attract women, new Canadians, Indigenous Peoples, and others to the trades.
CCA has been asking the federal government to remove the bias in the current immigration point system and award more points to applicants with experience in trades or as construction labourers. We have also partnered on the Canadian Apprenticeship Service, a federal program offering financial incentives to small and medium-sized employers who hire and train new first-year apprentices in 39 Red Seal trades. This program will provide support to employers wanting to hire apprentices and promote the skilled trades as a first-choice career for youth, women, Indigenous Peoples, LGBTQ+, immigrants and foreign workers.
With an ambitious post-COVID growth plan in place, including federal investment in infrastructure, climate resilient retrofits, housing, and vital maintenance, CCA will continue to press for government action on developing the workforce we need now.
For more information on CCA’s advocacy work, please email Louis-Philippe Champagne, Director of Government Relations, at lpchampagne@cca-acc.com.