New forecast says Ontario construction industry poised to meet regional demands | BuildForce Canada

New forecast says Ontario construction industry poised to meet regional demands


TORONTO – Ontario is in good shape to meet the demands of a growing construction industry, despite its shrinking workforce, according to a new forecast released today by the Construction Sector Council (CSC). Construction Looking Forward – Labour Requirements from 2006 to 2014 for Ontario, says a mobile workforce that shifts to different regions of the province will be key to meeting industry demand over the next nine years.

The forecast says that investment will increase by an average of 2% per year, and that an estimated 48,000 workers will be needed to replace retirees. More than 22,000 additional workers will be required to meet new construction demand.

The CSC has been working with all disciplines of the industry over the past year to develop Construction Looking Forward reports for each province. They are being released across the country this month.

“The regional perspective in the Ontario report gives industry leaders the foresight needed to keep the construction industry on a viable track,” says Ron Martin, Executive Director of Sudbury Construction Association. The forecast looks at factors that affect labour requirements -- such as investment and retirement rates -- for Ontario, and separately for each of its five regions.

“The pace of activity is manageable because as the workforce shifts from region to region, labour markets balance,” adds Martin. “But we are keeping an eye on demands from the West as that could disturb that balance.”

Patrick Dillon of the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council says “the data on what skills will be needed and where is particularly useful for the development of training programs, which will be very much in demand. We have the training capacity to meet future needs.”

On the residential side, Victor Fiume, President of the Ontario Home Builders Association, says recruitment and training will also remain a priority for the housing sector as housing starts are expected to remain healthy in Ontario.

“When labour is tight, safety and quality concerns are top of mind,” adds Ron McGillis, Manager - Safety, Compliance & Contractor Quality at Ontario Power Generation says. “The type of detailed information in this forecast, such as when and where shortages can occur, gives us the ‘heads up’ we need.”

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. Construction Looking Forward reports are produced annually by the CSC for all provinces. They are available electronically at www.csc-ca.org.

Funding for this project was provided by the Government of Canada’s Sector Council Program.

MORE INFORMATION:
Patrick Dillon
Business Manager and Secretary Treasurer
Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council
Tel (416) 679-8887
Cell (416) 828-6617
patrick@ontariobuildingtrades.com

Ron Martin
Executive Director
Sudbury Construction Association
(705) 673-5619
martin@constructionnorth.com

Rosemary Sparks
Director of Projects
Construction Sector Council
Tel (905) 852-9186
Cell (416) 271-2633
sparks@csc-ca.org