Canada needs 250,000 construction workers

Canada's construction industry is suffering from a shortage of workers. A Canadian construction industry association, BuildForce Canada, has estimated that there may be a shortfall of 250,000 workers by 2021. Most of these workers will be required to replace 210,000 workers who will retire during the next eight years.

Buildforce Canada has released a report entitled Construction Looking Forward. The report says that the residential construction sector is actually likely to contract slightly, resulting in 8,000 fewer jobs by 2021. The non-residential construction sector is likely to grow slightly, creating 44,000 extra jobs.

In particular, construction projects linked to resources projects will create jobs. There will be mining projects in Labrador, Newfoundland, Northern Ontario and Saskatchewan. There will also be jobs created in Alberta and British Columbia as oil companies attempt to tap the oil sands, and there will be opportunities in infrastructure projects.

Vacancies in many trades

There are also expected to be opportunities in commercial construction in Toronto over the next five years as well as in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Ontario.

Buildforce Canada says that there are likely to be vacancies for

• Boilermakers
• Bricklayers
• Carpenters
• Construction estimators
• Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics
• Crane operators
• Electricians
• Ironworkers
• Plumbers
• Sheet metal workers
• Steamfitters and pipefitters
• Welders

Last year, a delegation from the provincial government of British Columbia travelled to Dublin to raise awareness of the opportunities in the construction industry in western Canada.

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