18 www.mcac.ca O ver the past year, Canadians have experienced major disruptions such as political changes, new technol- ogies and demographic shifts, which have all put pressure on the national economy. Federal and provincial governments have responded with a “Build Canada” approach that will keep construction busi- nesses busy with major projects over the coming decade; however, this will require a bigger workforce than the industry is expected to attract over the same period. In April of 2025, BuildForce Canada released its Construction and Maintenance Looking Forward report, a 10-year forecast of labour supply and demand between 2025 and 2034. It finds that the industry will need to recruit 380,500 workers just to keep pace with known labour demand. However, only 272,200 new workers are expected to enter the industry over that period. “You’re left with a net mobility demand, or shortfall, of 108,300,” says James Raiswell, BuildForce Canada’s director of communications. “For context, if you wind back the clock five years, when we released the report for 2020 to 2029, we talked in terms of the industry needing over 307,000 workers in the decade to come, so the demand has risen by more than 70,000 workers.” He explains that as the oldest members of the baby boom generation move into their 80s, the number of retirees is still rising, but the rate of increase is beginning to slow down. This year’s forecast suggests that 269,000 workers are approaching retirement, compared to 257,100 workers five years ago. That number represents considerable attrition, and more workers are expected to leave the construction workforce in the next decade than to enter it. However, this is not the main reason for the anticipated workforce shortfall. Demand growth is the driver behind the projected labour shortage – the need for more workers. For instance, the August 2025 launch of Canada’s Major Projects Office (MPO) will streamline approvals and financing for infrastructure projects supporting areas like mining, wind energy and ports. Ontario, meanwhile, has made its Ring of Fire mining initiative a pivotal focus for a renewed provincial economy. New recruits are required for health care and education projects in almost every region, as well as for heavy industrial and utilities projects in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C., and public-transit initiatives in B.C., Alberta and Ontario. In addition, more workers will be needed to perform necessary repairs and upgrades to existing infrastructure, not to mention constructing the thousands of new homes required across the country. Older projections for 2020-2029 indicated that demand growth was going to create 50,200 jobs just based on hiring needs. The new 10-year projection shows that “demand growth has more than doubled to 111,600,” Raiswell says. HELP WANTED! SARAH B. HOOD This year’s BuildForce figures reveal a potential shortfall of over 100,000 construction workers in Canada by 2034
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