b'looking at the share of immigrants in the workforce compared to their share of the TO ENSURE THE INDUSTRYS LABOUR FORCE CANconstruction labour force. Immigrants now make up 27 per cent of Canadas CONTINUE TO RESPOND TO THE DEMAND FORlabour force, while in the construction industry, immigrants make up just 21 per CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, THE INDUSTRY WILLcent. If the sector continues to lag behind other industries in attracting immigrants, NEED TO SUPPLEMENT ITS DOMESTIC RECRUITMENTmany of the current labour force EFFORTS WITH A HIGHER NUMBER OF SKILLED TRADEchallenges are likely to worsen with the already stated acceleration of retirements IMMIGRANTS FROM ABROAD. from the industry in the years ahead. Conclusion:New Thinking RequiredFlexibility will have to be the answer. Peoples and newcomers already inefforts with a higher number of skilledThe solution is not an either-or, but a Canada. The federal government recentlytrade immigrants from abroad. Withboth. The industry must continue to introduced an employer apprenticeshipCanadas demographics trending older,diversify and domestically promote the incentivethe Canadian Apprenticeshipwithout an increase to immigration,recruitment of workers from outside Serviceto support an increase in theCanada will see far more individualstraditional channels. At the same time, it domestic training of first-year apprentices.exit the labour force due to retirementmust also look to enhance its recruitment When added to other existing federal andthan young people available to replaceof newcomers, refugees and prospective provincial initiatives, there has never beenthem. This will increase dramatically theimmigrants to Canada. There are strong a better time for employers to engage incompetition for younger workers.gains to be made following a strategy that apprenticeship development. Unfortunately, Canadas immigrationtargets both elements. But domestic recruitment alone is onlysystem is skewed toward the selection ofConstructions unprecedented labour part of the solution. To ensure theimmigrants with high levels of educationalforce challenge is not insurmountable, industrys labour force can continue toattainment. Consequently, despite strongbut it absolutely requires new thinking, respond to the demand for constructiondemand domestically, immigrants withpersistence and an increased focus on services, the industry will need toskilled trades training and experiencerecruitment and retention by employers supplement its domestic recruitmentare rarely selected. We see this whenacross the country to be overcome.THE PERFECT ELECTRICWATER HEATER. Bradford White has the perfect residential electric water heater for your customer:Tight Spots: Skinny tanks with diameters as small as 20.Versatility: Utility, lowboy and compact models in a variety of capacities.Quality: Exclusive features for long life and outstanding performance.See more at our website dedicated to the Pro: bwforthepro.com 2022, Bradford White Corporation. All rights reserved. BWBUL0822BWBUL0822_bw-canada-half-page-AUG-v4-electric.indd 1 7/5/22 2:00 PM2022 NATIONAL BULLETIN35'