b'SPECIAL FEATURE: INDUSTRY PROMOTIONtotal housing units. That figure is thenewcomers and more establishedto build new housing and green existing sum of the 70,000 units projected forimmigrants make up about 16 per cent ofbuildings be implemented to their fullest construction under business-as-usualthe provinces construction workforce. extent, demand for construction services conditions and the additional 170,000CONCLUSION: MANAGING GROWTH and construction workerscould units required to close the CMHCWILL REQUIRE NEW SOLUTIONS surge to new heights.housing supply gap. No matter the conditions going forward, To achieve such targets, the provincesManitobas construction sector is poisedthe sector will have to consider new residential construction labour force willfor growth. approaches to addressing itshave to grow from 19,280 workers inEven under business-as-usualworkforce challenges. Recruiting from 2024 to 46,430 by 2033an increaseconditions, demand for constructionamong traditionally underrepresented of more than 140 per cent. Manitobasactivity is projected to rise throughgroups must be chief amongnon-residential labour force will also2033. Should public policy imperativesthese alternatives.have to grow from 23,000 workers to more than 33,800 over the same perioda more modest increase of 47 per centto keep pace with the requirement to build infrastructure to support thesenew homes.Our Building a Greener Future report, meanwhile, modelled the likely effects on the labour force of converting the heating fuels of Manitobas housing stock from fossil fuels to electricity, and of retrofitting those buildings to make them more energy efficient.The report found that such changes could create as many as 2,300 new employment opportunities across the skilled trades. Demand pressures may be particularly high among refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics, with employment in that trade projected to grow by more than 600 per cent.INDUSTRY MUST SHIFT ITS ATTENTION TO HIRING FROM AMONG TRADITIONALLY UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPSThere are no easy solutions to these labour force challenges, but the industry can begin by developing strategies to recruit new workers from among historically underrepresented groups.Women, for example, make up just 12 per cent of Manitobas total construction workforce, and just five per cent of the provinces 42,300 trades workers.At 17 per cent, Indigenous workers account for a greater share of the provinces construction labour force, and there may be scope to increase their participation in the industry given their apparent predisposition to work inthe trades.Recruiting from among newcomers to Canada may also present a significant opportunity, given expected immigration levels through 2026. Currently, Issue 2 | Summer Edition | 2024 BUILD MANITOBA 21'