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Construction Sector Leads Alberta Job Growth in 2023-24

The Alberta government has released their latest report on labour market trends, based on data from Statistics Canada. Below are some of the key highlights and trends that are shaping Alberta’s labour landscape. One of the standout findings is the strong year-over-year job growth in the construction industry. Our sector has been the leading contributor to the province’s employment gains, with 12,767 more Albertans employed in the sector in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. This is welcome news to our members and workers. At the same time Alberta’s average weekly earnings were $1,297.76, showing a 2.5% year-over-year increase, indicating positive income growth for workers. In addition, the job vacancy rate in Alberta stood at 3.4%, reflecting a very competitive labour market. For 2023, the average annual job vacancy rate in Alberta came in at 4.2% compared to 4.8% in 2022 and 2.6% in 2019. The strong economy in our province continues to attract people to come west and fill the available jobs. Alberta has led Canada in population growth, up 4.4 per cent from a year ago. International migration contributed two-thirds of the overall provincial population gains. We also saw the highest net

April 10, 2024

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The labour gap: Seed vs. Sod

Last week the CLRA rolled out our Seed vs. Sod thought leadership piece, where President Joe McFadyen discusses the merits, risks and rewards of attracting skilled workers to Alberta versus educating and training them here. Alberta is looking at about $22B in investments into our energy industry between now and 2030. Conservative estimates from Statistics Canada, BuildForce Canada, and many other industry groups and economic forecasters suggest this will create demand for more than 20,000 new jobs in the construction trades. This is a generational challenge, and Alberta will need multiple solutions to solve it. CLRA is working closely with the government, industry employers, and trades groups to support initiatives that will help attract and retain existing skilled trades workers and educate and train new young workers in the industry. We are committed to being part of the Alberta solution: from seed to sod.

April 8, 2024

Our website has a new look!

The Construction Labour Relations Alberta website has a new look! From streamlining our content, modernizing our style, to improving functionality, we like keeping things fresh. Check out our new site here: https://clra.org/

March 25, 2024

Announcement

International Women’s Day 2024

The Government of Canada’s theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is “Invest in women: accelerate progress.” CLRA stands behind improved access and opportunities for women to succeed in the skilled trades, with the goal to build a better future for themselves, the province, and the country. Today, we celebrate skilled tradeswomen that build and maintain our province. An organization that has partnered with CLRA in the past is Women Building Futures (WBF). WBF provides free training programs, career coaching, mentorship opportunities, and overall support for women wanting to enter careers in the skilled trades, trucking, and related fields. CLRA contractors have previously hired WBF graduates and are committed to empowering women to thrive in the construction industry. We encourage women to explore the rewarding world of trades careers. An excellent place to start looking is our new Work Alberta Trades website which offers women interested in trades information on career options, education opportunities, financial aid, and more. Happy International Women’s Day!

March 8, 2024

Excerpt: Board Chair's New Year Message to Members

“Over the next several months, much of our association’s focus for that work will be advocacy with the provincial government and with other industry stakeholders. Politics in Alberta have changed dramatically and permanently over the last decade. As a result, we have work to do to raise awareness about CLRA with decision-makers and influencers in government.

“We have important messages to deliver on your behalf about the value of the collective agreements we’ve signed with the skilled trade unions, about the value CLRA offers to government efforts to attract investment and workers to Alberta, about the need for more predictable and stable investments in the construction industry, trades education and workforce retention, about the impact of potential changes to labour legislation, workplace safety regulations and building codes, and about the need to attract and recruit more people to our industry from underrepresented groups including women, LGBTQ2S+ and Indigenous people.

“As Chair, my only ask of our members this year is to support these efforts.”