b'CANADAS CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY MUST GROW LABOUR FORCE, EVEN AS ACTIVITY MODERATES OVER NEXT DECADEBILL FERREIRA, Executive Director, BuildForce Canada O ver the next decade construction activity in Canada isup to 221,300 new entrants from the population aged 30 and expected to moderate, with growth concentrated in theyounger over the coming decade. non-residential sector. At the same time, the constructionBuildForce calculates that the retirement rate for mechanical industry will lose more than 261,000 workers to retirement tradesplumbers, pipefitters, sprinkler, HVAC, gasfittersruns about 22 per cent of the current labour force. These concurrentbelow the national average at 18 per cent over 10 years. That trends, and the balance between them, are among the mostgives the mechanical sector a little more leeway in replacing significant tracked by BuildForce Canada in our 2019-2028retiring workers, but not a reprieve.Construction and Maintenance Looking Forward forecast. They also represent a call to action: the industry must prepare to faceWhats Driving Demand? the challenge of replenishing these workers, even as constructionThe 2019-2028 outlook scenario projects that construction activity slows. employment in Canada will strengthen modestly through 2020. The retirement bubble of workers born during the baby Thats because major energy, public transportation and other boom period isnt unique to the construction industry. Its infrastructure projects are rising to a near-term peak, which simple demographics. should offset a continued softening in new home construction. The industrys oldest workers are generally its most experienced,While demand for industrial, commercial and institutional so this retirement trend represents a significant loss ofbuilding construction should grow at a stable pace, activity construction industry skills and experience. At the same time, thein the heavy industrial engineering sector, which tends to be pool of younger workers available to fill those positions more cyclical in nature, may create labour market tightness for is shrinking, as other industries compete for those some specific trades due to the start of construction of major same workers.liquefied natural gas facilities in B.C. and the start of multi-year We project that employment in direct construction trades andnuclear refurbishment projects in Ontario. Between 2019 and occupations in Canada will rise only four per cent by 2028, or2020, labour markets will likely be tight for these provinces 43,960 jobs, and remain steady at around 1.1 million workers.for boilermakers, construction millwrights and mechanics, Combining the expected growth in employment requirementsironworkers and structural metal fabricators, steamfitters, and the anticipated retirement of some 261,000 workers, thepipefitters, and welders.construction industry will need to recruit more than 305,000Following that peak in 2021, overall employment demand is workers between 2019 and 2028. Based on historical rates ofprojected to decline, but due to retirements, the size of the youth recruitment, the construction industry could onboardavailable workforce is projected to decline more significantly. 26 www.mcac.ca'