PRINCE GEORGE – The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association has released its eighth annual Wage and Benefits Survey.
The survey found that 87 percent of contractors anticipate work volumes to remain at 2023 levels or more. One of the biggest hurdles is red tape at all levels of government.
“What we’ve seen over the years is everything from project approval, different policies government is initiating,” says Mike Davis, Regional Vice President for the ICBA. “We tend to find that when there’s less government interference, that’s the best for development and economic development in our province.”
And that is one of the problems, even at the local level with delays in building permits and the like. However, there are constantly evolving regulations that impact contractors.
“There’s so much more red tape,” explains Al Creuzot with Creuzot Construction. “Houses are so much different now than what they were before. So you’ve got red tape coming all over the place.”
When asked what keeps industry awake at night, a whopping 79 percent of respondents cited the lack of qualified workers in the trades that they require. Many local workers have taken up with some of the major projects, but many of those projects are wrapping up. And Davis cites where both industry and government have failed.
“1.2 million new immigrants came into Canada. About 450,000 of those are permanent immigrants. Of those 450,000, only two percent chose to pursue a career in trade. So we need to do better. Governments need to do better. Industry as how to identify, recruit, retain potential employers or employees.”
The survey shows that nearly 70 percent of companies will offer higher wages to recruit and retain workers, while 64 percent will spend extra time on recruitment.
