Labour forecast helps construction industry meet resource-boom demands
May 30, 2007
EDMONTON – A new construction forecast for Alberta is giving industry leaders a “heads up” as to when and where more training programs and increased recruitment efforts that include workers from other provinces will be needed to meet demand.
Details leading to these and other trade-shortage symptoms are spelled out in the Construction Sector Council’s (CSC) just-released forecast report – Construction Looking Forward: Labour Requirements from 2007 to 2015 for Alberta.
“Alberta’s construction industry is a job magnet and the local workforce is clearly not large enough,” says Neil Tidsbury, President of Construction Labour Relations of Alberta, and a member of the CSC’s Board of Directors. “But the industry can rise to the challenge, thanks in part to this forecast that allows us to plan ahead,” he says. Mr. Tidsbury says a new feature this year that allows stakeholders to perform customized data searches online means the report will be more widely used than ever by industry and government decision makers.
The forecast is based on a model pioneered by the Construction Owners Association of Alberta. After combining economic projections and compiling an inventory of major projects, it ranks market conditions for more than 30 trades and occupations.
As the Manager of one of the province’s main employers, Syncrude, Gary Mullaly says “we will be turning up the heat on recruiting and training programs to keep projects on time and on budget, especially from now until 2010 as the resource boom causes very tight markets for some trades.”
"The forecast highlights the need for proper recruiting methods, safety and other training when meeting our commitment to supply qualified tradespeople," says Ron Harry of the Alberta Building Trades Council. "We will not compromise safety and training at any level just to say we were able to supply workers."
Grant Ainsley, Executive Officer of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association – Alberta says “these forecasts are unique because all sectors of the construction industry are involved in validating the data, including the residential sector.” He adds that “they will go a long way to help the residential sector plan for future workforce requirements.”
CSC Executive Director George Gritziotis says Construction Looking Forward forecasts, which will be released for each province over the coming weeks, are unique because all sectors of the construction industry are involved in compiling the data. “That process speaks to their accuracy and reliability as a tool,” he says, “and it keeps all players on the same page when it comes to what the future holds”.
The Construction Sector Council was established in 2001 as an independent labour/business partnership to address the workforce needs of the construction industry. The CSC is a neutral forum that brings together stakeholders to provide data that industry can use to make critical planning decisions. CSC provides this data to industry who undertake their own analysis. Funding for this project was provided by the Government of Canada’s Sector Council Program. The report is available on the CSC website at www.csc-ca.org.
MORE INFORMATION:
Herb Holmes
Construction Labour Relations – Alberta
Tel: (780) 451-5444
herb@clra.org;
Grant Ainsley
Canadian Alberta Home Builders’ Association – Alberta
Tel: (780) 424-5890
grant@chbaalberta.ca
Rosemary Sparks
Construction Sector Council
(613) 569-5552
sparks@csc-ca.org