According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, a shortage of skilled labour is hurting growth prospects of construction firms in Ontario. Government officials cited the “large number of retirements with the baby boomers retiring and moving on out of the industry” as one of the key drivers of the shortage in skilled labour.
According to the survey, 69 per cent of contractors in Ontario expect to have difficulty finding skilled workers while 62 per cent say they have experienced a shortage of skilled labour in the sector in the past three years.
A dearth of skilled labour is not restricted to Central Canada – in fact key provinces in Atlantic Canada are facing the same challenge in the construction industry. Notably the Construction Association of Prince Edward Island has launched an initiative to “increase access to skilled labour”.