Construction Labour Force: Growing Need for People!

Anyone in the construction industry, regardless if they have been with the industry for decades or days, is witnessing the ever-growing need for new entrants into construction to sustain our ability to continue to build Ontario. 

The fact that we have a robust demand for proposed construction projects tabled for this coming year is excellent news. The only issue, which all contractors face, is “How are we going to satisfy this demand without people with the requisite skills to perform all of this work?”Understandably, this is not an issue that has just emerged from the ether that we now need to address, but instead something that has been growing and compounding for over a decade into the current situation we face.

Consequently, a global pandemic, currently entering its third year, was not on the foreseeable horizon three years ago for construction and has severely impeded our ability to attract new entrants to our industry. COVID-19 had a cascading effect on construction and each new challenge has led to a compounding layer of difficulty with which our industry must contend.

What has COVID-19 done to construction?

Firstly, at the onset, the global pandemic caused complete pandemonium and at the time, the limited amount of information, or misinformation, simply added to the confusion. This confusion led to fear, and this fear caused a percentage of workers to stay home and not return to work, while it compelled another portion of the population, that may have been attracted to construction, to stop pursuing that avenue as a potential career. This is coupled with the fact that many older workers in construction, who may have been in the twilight of their careers, opted to retire early and avoid the added rigors that accompanied this global pandemic.

Secondly, the pandemic caused supply chain issues on a literal global scale. With logjams of transport ships held in docks or anchored just off of the ports and no personnel to offload any of the containers, this added element caused delays and confounded work schedules. Additionally, the fear was not indicative to construction only, but instead, proliferated all industries, and this affected the number of transportation personnel that would have been otherwise employed. No product also meant no movement in projects since we couldn’t install what we didn’t have on site.

Thirdly, people’s priorities and responsibilities changed. When schools shifted to on-line learning and offices were forced into remote work, this added to the already existing degree of coordination since children of various ages were now home. Those who work in construction understand that you need to physically be on site to complete the work and you cannot pour concrete remotely, regardless of how hard you tried. This responsibility caused another percentage of workers to stay home, having to choose between work and family.

Lastly, I believe that competition from other industries was also a determining component in the lessening labour pool. Let’s face it. Every industry is challenged to attract people, and the more difficult the work, the harder it is to interest new entrants into that career. The good news is that construction is a well-paying vocation, but regardless of the money, if people aren’t interested in entering because of easier selections, then this further increases our dilemma.

So, now that I have established that construction has had a dwindling labour force for a decade and that a global pandemic has greatly complicated the attraction of new entrants, what can our sector do to recover those lost workers and keep construction moving forward?

There is clearly no simple solution, but the OGCA has been contemplating and actioning different alternatives to assist with bolstering our sector as a viable alternative for people looking for work. And I believe that we may be on the cusp of a wave of potential interest into construction.

The OGCA is aligning itself with established programs like the Specialized Trades Exploration Program (STEP) offered by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) with a new program that highlights the ICI sector and is aptly called STEP to ICI Construction.

This program allows students to gain hands-on experience in ICI construction while earning their high school diploma. It has been developed to improve school-to-work transition for high-school students by providing them with the essential skills they need to prepare for future construction careers. The program is a link for employers and potential new youth to enter into construction.

Coupled with this program, the OGCA has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development (MLTSD) on developing inroads for new Project Managers and to create an upskilling program for potential Site Supervisors. These offerings are intended to increase the number of new entrants from either the graduate programs at educational institutions or newcomers to Canada and to find their way into ICI construction in the role of Junior, Intermediate or Project Manager.

Additionally, the OGCA is actively participating on a new construction panel at Skills Ontario that assists and provides guidance to the organization in their messaging to students as they continue to promote skilled trades throughout Ontario. This program offers provincial exposure and the committee continues to table new and innovative methods to engage with and to encourage students to seek out careers in construction.

This is only the tip of the iceberg as the OGCA continues to try new and different methods to engage with a variety of groups, from students of all ages, to newcomers to Canada, to various organizations with likeminded goals.

Our industry is incredibly dynamic and has endured despite all of the hurdles it has been forced to face. I truly believe that our sector is now poised, more than ever, to accept an influx of new entrants into our industry.

The demand is clearly there.

The desire to employ is clearly there.

All we need is the people to say yes to construction as their new home.

Should any of our members or simply anyone who may be reading this article have information on a program, group, organization or initiative that could potentially attract new entrants into our sector, or if you require any assistance from the OGCA, please contact me directly at giovanni@ogca.ca or via phone at 905.671.3969.