Canada is experiencing a major labour shortage. According to Canadian Visa Professionals, there are about 20,000 construction job vacancies alone in Ontario.
Tens of thousands of job openings are currently unfilled across Canada. It is a testing time for Canada’s construction industry, because many active construction workers will retire in the next few years.
Canadian Visa Professionals says that labourers, bricklayers, cement finishers, tilers, and trimmers are required for many of the job openings in the construction industry. Some of the sectors affected include residential and high-rise construction.
In the next ten years, roughly 20 per cent of Canada’s construction workers will retire, creating more labour shortages.
Therefore, Canada will have to bring in more people to build these projects to keep construction projects moving forward.
In the words of Monte McNaughton, the Ontario Labour Minister:
“It is a critical mission for us to get more people into the trades. The industry and various levels of government are paying close attention to how we can get many workers into trades.”
Ways to address the labour shortage in the construction industry
Canadian Visa Professionals could confirm that various levels of government are working round the clock to see how to fill the vacant roles in the construction industry.
McNaughton says, “This is the time to use immigration strategically. We will bolster the roster of skilled workers in our province by inviting proficient foreign construction workers who want to work in our construction industry.”
Also, the industry must expand into hiring people largely underrepresented on job sites, such as women and indigenous people.
