b'CONSTRUCTION PRIORITIES: THE SKILLED LABOUR SHORTAGEThis labour force classification encompasses more thanAnd while domestic recruitment will help offset some of this 250 different trades and accounts for roughly 16 per centneed, the industry may be short as many as 85,500 workers of the total construction workforce. While many provincesby 2033. Simply put, domestic recruitment alone will not be have special provincial nominee allocations that can allowsufficient to fill this gap and immigration is the only way the the industry to recruit foreign workers with these skills, thecountry can meet these targets. priority attached to the processing of these applications is generally low. This creates specific challenges for sectors suchAs part of the report, the construction industry recommended as residential and civil construction, where trade helpers andthe following key principles be adopted forlabourers make up 23 per cent and 25 per cent of the totalimmigration reforms:workforces respectively for these sectors. 1)Eliminate the educational bias in the current INDUSTRY RECOMMENDATIONS selection system;Canada has to realize that we are competing for foreign2)Create consistency between federal and provincial skilled trade immigrants and the fact is that these potential immigrants realize our country needs them and they doselection targets and industry goals;not necessarily have to come to Canada, said Ferreira in3)Improve consultation with industry sectors when his closing remarks. We need these workers to provide an adequate workforce to build 3.5 million new homes,establishing sector-specific recruitment targets; andachieve net-zero targets and expand and maintain our critical4)Encourage provinces/territories to use competency-based infrastructure across the country.skills assessments of foreign credentials.As the demand for construction services continues to rise,As the IRU report concludes, adopting these principles immigration will increasingly become a critical labour forceand reforms can help Canada establish a more responsive supplement. BuildForce Canada projects that the constructionimmigration system that meets the needs of thesector may need to hire as many as 350,000 new workers overconstruction industry.the next 10 years, just to keep pace with currentconstruction demands.To access a copy of the IRU report, go to www.BuildForce.ca.SENSO WASTEMANAGEMENTWe make waste collection & disposal easy for you!BUILDERSDIGEST Quarter 2202421'