News Updates

February 2011:  British Columbia – 2011 Highlights

In February of 2011, the Construction Sector Council released a document outlining a detailed nine-year scenario of workforce supply and demand by trade in the province of British Columbia.  Read the full report…

A full report was also released detailing workforce supply and demand by trade, province and region for Canada.  Read the full report…

January 2011:  Construction Looking Forward

The Construction Sector Council released their 2010 – 2018 Assessment of Construction Labour Markets for British Columbia this week.  In the report, they have stated that British Columbia’s construction markets are emerging from the economic slump.  Stimulus opportunities lessened impact felt upon concrete finishers, heavy equipment operators and mechanics and truck drivers, however many other trades were impacted.  Read the full report…

June 2010:  BCCA Labour Market Information Report

In 2010 STEP retained an independent research firm to develop an indepth Regional ConstructionLabour Market Information study to complement the Construction Sector Council’s publication of the Construction Looking Forward Report.

In all regions the report indicated that currently most trades are available with shortages occurring from time to time.  However, the aging workforce continues to be a concern in all regions and will likely cause more widespread shortages in the coming years.  Recruiting young people into the sector will remain a focus for the industry as well as continuing to attract underutilized sources of labour which include persons with disabilities, women, immigrants and Aboriginal workers.   Read the full report…

June 2009:  It pays to Hire an Apprentice

The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum has released a report on the Return on Investment one can expect when hiring an apprentice.  On average it has been found that for every $1 spent on apprenticeship training, an employer will receive a beneft of $1.47.  Read the full report…