b'CONSTRUCTION PRIORITIES: BUILDFORCE CANADA UPDATEThere is more action from bothThe caution noted is that these increasesIn the non-residential sector, an provincial and federal governments tohave not moved the needle sufficientlyadditional 193,000 individuals will need help attract more people into the tradesto meet the anticipated future labourto be added, leaving the industry with a as well as movement on immigrationforce needs within the industry. Thetotal hiring requirement over the next 10 policies to meet the workforce needsresidential slowdown is happeningyears of just over 380,000 individuals. of the construction industry, stateddespite the continuing high demand forBased on historical recruitment levels, Ferreira. There has also been progressnew affordable housing. The BFC reportthe industry may find itself short in having underrepresented sectors likefor 2025 to 2034 estimates the sectorapproximately 108,000 individuals by women, Indigenous people and will need to hire 187,000 individuals by2034 unless overall recruitmentnew Canadians moving towards 2034 just to offset retirements and keepis increased. industry careers. pace with overall construction demands. LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION (LMI)BFCs method of creating LMI is unique in that it includes contractors, labour organizations, training institutions and purchaser groups across the country, said Ferreira. This process is representative of the real Canadian construction markets. These reports also draw attention to diversity and recruiting underrepresented workers.National industry employment ending June 2025 saw an increase of 66,400 workers or 4.1 per cent. Ontario, B.C. and Alberta led the way with double-digit increases, while the other provinces had increases in the single digits. Despite the weakening residential demand, non-residential activity has held strong on the strength of public sector investments in hospitals, seniors care, educational facilities and the renovation and expansion of government buildings. Excluding institutional work, building permit activity was down across the province, with the residential construction sector down 37 per cent.The latest data from StatsCan in May 2025 shows an increase in permit value nationally of 4.6 per cent compared to May 2024, which usually trends towards an increase in employment. Building permit values are up 5.1 per cent compared to the same period in 2024, which suggests a better first half of the year in 2025. Actual permits, however, are down 5.5 per cent in part due to investor uncertainty related to cross-border trade disruptions. Provincial construction unemployment rates in June 2025 varied from 2.5 per cent in Saskatchewan to 10.6 per cent in Newfoundland and Labrador. All other provinces had rates of 6.6 per cent or below, except for New Brunswick at8.5 per cent.BUILDING A GREENER FUTUREThis report from April 2024 has a great deal of relevance to the direction 28Quarter 32025 BUILDERSDIGEST'