OTTAWA – Canada’s construction industry is going global by working with its Australian counterparts to share approaches on predicting construction labour needs and addressing skilled trade shortages.
“Both countries have dynamic construction industries that help drive their respective economies and we have a lot to learn from each other on how to keep doing that,” says Robert Blakely, Construction Sector Council (CSC) Labour Co-chair and Director of Canadian Affairs for the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL – CIO. The CSC is now in the third year of producing a construction labour requirements forecast, widely used by industry and government decision makers in Canada.
“While we each have booming construction markets, we are also dealing with similar human resources challenges,” he says, “such as skilled trade shortages and aging populations.”
“The CSC’s Construction Looking Forward reports are certainly a hit here and we are proud that our forecasting work is gaining international recognition,” says Timothy Flood, Construction Sector Council Business Co-chair and President of John Flood and Sons Ltd.
The aim of a recent agreement signed by the CSC and the Australian Construction Industry Forum (ACIF) is to “support and enhance each organization’s ability to forecast construction investment activity, employment demand and supply in the residential and non-residential sectors.”
“Innovative approaches to predicting labour requirements and developing targeted labour market solutions will be shared with a view to improving both industries,” says Peter Verwer, Chair of Australia’s Construction Forecasting Council (CFC) - www.cfc.acif.com.au.
Neil Marshall, Chairman of the Australian Construction Industry Forum, which oversees the CFC, is particularly interested in the level of detail in the CSC forecasts.
“The ability to predict when and where 32 trades and occupations will be available over the next nine years provides a world class model” says Marshall.
“We are also impressed by the CSC’s consultation process with industry leaders from each sector and region of the country, and with the research on labour market issues, such as the future of mobile workers,” says Mr. Marshall.
ACIF oversees and manages the Australian Construction Forecasting Council, and its mission is to create a competitive construction and property industry that is a leader in building a prosperous Australian nation. Membership is open to any Australian building or construction industry association with a national structure and focus.
The CSC is a partnership between business, labour and government with financial support from both industry and government. Established in 2001 to address the workforce needs of the construction industry, the CSC brings together stakeholders to provide data that industry can use to make critical decisions.
Funding for the CSC is being provided by the Government of Canada’s Sector Council Program.
For more information on this and other CSC programs visit www.csc-ca.org.
Synopsis
The Construction Sector Council’s Construction Looking Forward forecast reports, which are valued as a planning tool by decision makers in the Canadian construction industry, have gained international recognition. The CSC has recently signed an agreement with its Australian counterparts to share information on labour forecasting and recruitment practices. The agreement with the Australian Construction Industry Forum will see each country share best practices to refine forecasting abilities and improve solutions to human resource challenges in the construction industry.
For further comment:
Peter Verwer
Chief Executive
Property Council of Australia
0407 463 842
02 9033 1920
George Gritziotis
Executive Director
Construction Sector Council
613-569-5552