The Canadian construction industry has an aging workforce and in the coming decade will lose almost a quarter of its skilled workers to retirement. At the same time, forecasts indicate that – in the medium- to long-term – the industry will continue growing. To fill the vacancies left by retiring baby boomers and meet the demands of this anticipated growth, the industry will need to recruit and train thousands of new workers – sooner rather than later.
CLRA believes intentional, collaborative conversations with our industry partners are crucial to addressing the skilled labour shortage. We were pleased to host a reception and panel discussion yesterday on Attracting and Retaining Skilled Labour in Alberta. Held at the QEII Building in downtown Edmonton, we welcomed government, education, training and industry representatives to connect over the shared issue of building Alberta’s skilled labour workforce.
Panelists included Honourable @Matt Jones, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade, @Laura Jo Gunter, President and CEO of @NAIT, @Mike Holden, VP of Policy & Chief Economist with @BCA, and CLRA President and CEO @Joe McFadyen.
Panelists spoke about the need for partnerships and collaboration, the increasing importance of technology in the trades, and what CLRA calls “seed vs. sod” – educating and training skilled workers locally vs. attracting them to Alberta from other jurisdictions.
CLRA has led Alberta’s construction employers through labour negotiations for over 50 years, helping our members stay ahead of industry shifts, trends, and challenges. Today’s event offered a meaningful opportunity for cross-sector leaders to exchange strategies that will bolster Alberta’s much-needed labour workforce. We look forward to future gatherings with our government, education, and industry partners.
