By Cheryl Jahn

Construction trades in “severe” shortage

Jan 10, 2025 | 1:50 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – It’s an ongoing conundrum. Construction leads to economic growth but that growth is stymied by a labour shortage.

“In just under a decade, we’re looking at a shortage of just under 21,000 workers in the construction industry due to expansion and retirements in the industry,” says Nicole Bryant, CEO of the Northern Regional Construction Association.

Some other interesting stats: There is currently $170 billion worth of construction in BC, pumping $29.3 billion into the provincial GDP. The number of construction companies has risen by nine per cent, the vast majority of which have fewer than 20 employees. But alarmingly, the number of jobs that will remain unfilled by 2033 due to labour shortages? 6,600.

“There are some projects that probably can’t proceed without the workforce available,” says Bryant. “Companies can’t quote or bid on projects that they may want to be working on because they don’t have the workforce to deliver the projects.”

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In fact, the industry is in such a state that the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association is calling it a severe shortage with two-thirds of their members say the government is on the wrong track to resolve it.

“So unfortunately, there’s a real anti-business climate in the province right now,” says Mike Davis with the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association. “Ninety-four per cent of jobs created in the past two and half years have been government positions. Not sustainable. And probably scarier is that we’re seeing that about one in three people between the ages of 18 to 35 are considering leaving the province.”

Mike Davis says one policy is particularly problematic.

“I don’t think there’s a construction company that would say that the province’s Community Benefits Agreements are a good policy. It sounds like a great name, but when you look at projects taking longer to complete and at 30 per cent increases to overall project cost and excluding 85 per cent of the construction sector, that is not part of the BC Building Trades, then that is not a very effective policy.”

So what would help address the shortage? Nicole Bryant says let’s start with immigration.

“So there needs to be reform in immigration as well as the provincial allotment and the ways that they appoint the types of industries that they’re hiring for when they’re bringing in immigrants,” says Bryant.

She says the education system needs to promote construction as an option and tap into a different demographic.

“So that needs to change as well. We also need to look at some of our underrepresented groups, so women and other marginalized groups that we’re looking at that can fill some of these roles that the industry needs to start rounding out the industry and creating a little bit of diversity within the industry as well. So it’s not an easy question to answer.”

Ultimately, however, there is no silver bullet to address the dire picture in the construction sector.