b'Investments in the industrial, commercial and institutional sectors also increased by a combined seven per cent over 2020 levels, with demand expected to grow almost continuously through 2027.As a result of such pressures, we expect non-residential employment to peak in 2026, particularly in those provinces where engineering project demands are stacking up. To keep pace, the sectors labour force must add 35,500 workers by the end of the forecast periodsix per cent more than it had in 2021.CONSTRUCTIONS GREAT RESIGNATIONThere is, of course, more to constructions labour story than growth created by demand.The industry is on the cusp of a generational shift. As it did across many industries, the pandemic caused many older construction workers in the core working-age group to leave the labour force. As the economy recovered last year, many of those older workers were slow to return to work, if they returned at all. This fact has caused labour markets to tighten across most provinces. Unemployment rates are trending lower as employment outpaces labour forcegrowth.The challenge before the industry is how to manage this reality. Retirementswhether caused by the pandemic or otherwiseare expected to reach their highest levels in the next two years. By 2027, approximately 156,000 workers, many from the baby boomer generation, are expected to have exited the industry. These people are leaving with their hard-earned knowledge and skill setsassets that take time to develop and are not easily replaced by newworkers.CLOSING THE SKILLS GAPThese retirements, combined with a projected growth in worker demand of nearly 16,000, mean construction must hire 172,000 new workers in the next six years. Approximately 143,000 of those will come from new entrants aged 30 or younger, leaving the industry with as many as 29,000 spaces to fill.How can construction close this gap? The answer is almost certainly through diversification. It is no secret that three groups are historically underrepresented among construction trades workers: women, Indigenous Peoples and newcomers to Canada.CONSIDER THE FOLLOWINGConstruction employed 1.47 million people in 2021. Of that Figure 2: Construction employment by sector, Canada. (Courtesy of BuildForce Canada) total, approximately 193,000 were women. About one in four of those women worked directly on construction sites, while the remaining 73 per cent worked off site, chiefly in administrative and management-related occupations. Put another way, of the 1.1 million trade workers employed in Canadas construction sector, just five per cent were women.The Indigenous population is another underrepresented group that presents recruitment opportunities. It is the fastest-growing population in Canada and has a higher tendency to choose the construction industry as a career choice. Last year, the sector employed approximately 63,700 Indigenous people. Of those, 81 per cent worked directly on construction projects.ACCESS CANADA SPRING/SUMMER 2022 17'