Building Your Career? Consider Construction
Want to know where the jobs will be in 2011? If you’re in the construction trades, you may be in luck.
According to Statistics Canada, as of December, 2010, the construction trades sector has gained 89,000 jobs over the past 12 months, up 7.5 per cent from last year.
This trend might fluctuate, but it’s still likely to keep going up. Part of the past year’s gain is from ramped up spending by the federal and provincial governments on stimulus infrastructure projects, which are either now completed or winding down. But there is a lot of construction work on the horizon, for a number of reasons.
One is that baby boomers are retiring from skilled trades in increasing numbers, and new workers are needed to replace them. Construction trades are one of the first employment sectors to be affected by boomer retirement.
“We don’t have enough apprentices to fill the gaps left by older workers leaving,” says Brian Mahaffy, an instructor at Sheridan College’s electrical department. He told the Toronto Star’s moneyville.ca that, “in the next five years it will be a landslide.”
Even in the United States, where the recession’s hold on the economy has been particularly persistent, economic forecasters predict increasing demand for workers in the construction trades. The U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics, in its 2010-11 Career Guide to Industries, notes that while housing starts remain down, there are other opportunities: “As energy costs have risen, some companies are finding it necessary to build or renovate buildings that are not energy efficient. ‘Green construction’ is an area that is increasingly popular… ”
In Canada the best opportunities for trades right now are for electricians, carpenters and plumbers, tiling and flooring tradesmen, as well as specialists in heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC). Also in demand are pipe-fitters and welders.
Advancing technology is also creating new and increased demand for electricians, along with other trades. “Homes these days are being wired for the 21st century, with integrated fire alarm, computer and media systems,” explains Ben Cecil, dean of environment, media and technology at Niagara College to moneyville.ca. “So basic electrical techniques is a hot trade.”
A third trend that’s raising demand for skilled construction trades is the need to retrofit and build more energy efficient buildings in Canada. A huge percentage of Canada’s housing and office space is more than 50 years old, built when energy seemed limitless and heating and air conditioning were cheap. Rising costs, the need to deal with climate change and new conservation-minded legislation like Ontario’s Green Energy Act mean that more people are needed to renew buildings across Canada, especially between now and 2050.
Add to these trends the extra synergies. When a technical tradesperson such as an HVAC expert is called in, the customer often wants to do other work once the building becomes a construction site. For example, people replacing plumbing and wiring will often decide it’s worth their while to redo their kitchen and bathroom at the same time--this creates a need for carpenters and drywallers.
Cecil says his school at Niagara College is “bursting at the seams” with people enrolling in trade courses. Watch for this trend to continue too. By one estimate, between now and 2030, some 40 per cent of new jobs in Canada will be in the skilled trades.
The challenge now for everyone interested in the trades—employers and workers alike—is connecting the men and women who want to work in the trades with the contractors and companies who need them. The U.S. unemployment rate is hovering near 10 per cent (and the rate in Canada only marginally better), yet many employers have to cope with a shortage of skilled workers.
Here’s a guide on how to improve the connections between job seekers and great jobs in the construction trades:
- Employer outreach - Companies can develop programs to hire summer students and interns, actively recruiting young people not just from trade programs but also from high schools and universities. Part of the reason there is a looming trade worker shortage is that many young people aren’t aware of the opportunities. Gaining experience through a summer program, internship or job shadowing can open a whole new world for youth. It’s also cost-effective for employers, who need to meet construction deadlines in the summer and could use the extra labour. It’s good long term planning for contractors and firms to find their future workforce.
- Educational outreach - Community colleges and apprenticeship programs are the natural places to go for those who look to join a trade. But the journey can be confusing. Linda Franklin, President and CEO of Colleges Ontario, says that surveys show that 26 per cent of people identify trades as the best route to career success. “But few people who have relatives in trades know much about them. A starting point can be to go to a college near you and talk to a counsellor about the trades.” In most jurisdictions, the colleges have strong presence at building and trade shows. High schools and universities should be present too.
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Trade-by-trade outreach - The whole area of certification of trades is going through changes, as the requirements and skills get more sophisticated, demand for new skilled workers rises and people immigrate to North America, arriving with talent and knowhow but credentials that aren’t always recognized.
Individual trades can make this whole area easier, by providing more information to the public, informing people what’s needed to be certified, how it’s done (for example, whether a formal apprenticeship is required), how long it takes and – most importantly – how certification can lead to a great job.
The way for trades to do this is to think beyond the usual channels of going to community colleges and advertising on buses and subways. Reaching people at the colleges and via transit is vital, of course, but construction firms and contractors should also get involved in high school and university career counseling programs (many university grads may go into trades after seeing the opportunities) and be present at trade shows. Every trade should make sure that its information about how to get certified is online and easy to find.
- What workers can do - Opening your mind can open the world. Young people and newcomers to North America should look at the construction trades as an exciting new horizon. For example, take advantage of the many volunteer programs that involve construction, such as Habitats for Humanity or Volunteer Builders (which designs and constructs buildings for non-profit summer camps). Many of these programs will take participants far afield, which can be exciting. But many projects right at home require volunteer help, such as programs to revitalize neighbourhoods or fix inner-city housing. These local programs have an added benefit: people in these neighbourhoods can find out about how to enter trades, and the trades can identify the most promising candidates.
Just do the math. There are more than 150 trades; every year thousands of skilled people retire and demand for new skilled workers is going up all the time. It all adds up to one thing: opportunity for the right, certified people.
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