An aging work force and increased demand for workers in the oil sands and other resource-rich areas are combining to create a glaring need for new construction workers between now and the year 2020.
According to a Construction Sector Council (CSC) report, the country will require somewhere in the vicinity of 319,000 new workers to fill the holes left by retiring baby boomers and increasing construction demands.
The report, titled Construction Looking Forward, 2012-2020 Key Highlights, the outlook is positive for those looking for work in the construction sector. The CSC predicts the industry will continue to see record highs in employments over the next nine years.
“As the industry enters this second decade of strong growth, stakeholders are drawing on past experience to find ways to meet future demand,” CSC business co-chair Tim Flood was quoted as saying in the Daily Commercial News. “Recruiting for the projects is the first priority, but there is a second, critical challenge related to training and retaining workers to meet current needs as well as long-term needs.”
The 319,000 new workers the CSC expects will be needed includes 100,000 new workers to meet increased demand in non-residential building and 219,000 to replace construction workers who are expected to retire. That figure represents over one-fifth of the current Canadian construction work force.
With residential construction experiencing slow growth at best in most parts of the country, the need for new hires will come predominantly from the non-residential sector. Resource-based work, including mining, pipeline construction and the oil and gas industry are currently leading performers in Canada.
While the Harper government announced plans to make importing workers a quicker process, the Canadian work force will need to step in to fill the gap.
“Industry promotion is a high priority, as we will need to tap into all potential sources of labour supply to meet growing needs. Increased efforts will aim at attracting youth, women, Aboriginal people, other industries and immigrants,” Flood said.
The fact that much of the labour is in remote areas could pose another problem, as work will depend on the mobility of workers and their willingness to work in such locations. Furthermore, employment conditions fluctuate across the country as large-scale projects start up and reach completion.
Currently, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador are showing strong employment growth in the construction sector, with Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia lagging behind with more moderate changes in construction employment levels.
