Alberta construction jobs to bottom out in 2018, shortage expected in 2027
Posted Jan 31, 2018 11:56 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
As the province continues its economic recovery, there are some sober numbers for construction workers, at least in the short term.
New data predicts Alberta’s construction industry will shrink by 5,200 jobs through to 2019.
BuildForce Canada Executive Director Bill Ferreira noted Alberta is coming off some historic highs with regards to construction employment.
“It’s what we would call a return to a more normal level of activity,” he said. “It basically will bottom out we anticipate in terms of employment by 2019, and then you’re going to see some growth again.”
It won’t be until 2021 when residential construction employment levels recover to 2014 levels.
As oil sands construction recovers, Ferreira believes up to 2,500 jobs should be restored in the next decade, but there won’t be new investment until about 2024.
“We’re probably looking at one of the busiest peak periods, one of the busiest periods frankly the industry has seen in some time, this spring when it comes to shutdown and maintenance work,” he said.
He said the real problems start in a couple years, dealing with the anticipated retirement as things pick back up.
“We are expecting that the industry will probably over the next ten years, lose about 40,000 workers to retirement,” he said.
That means with increased demand, the industry could be 6,000 workers short by 2027.
