Construction Industry Needs to Focus on Replacing Rapidly Aging Workforce

HALIFAX, NS--(Marketwired - January 18, 2016) -  Growth in home renovation, non-residential construction and the need to replace a rapidly aging workforce are creating new job opportunities for skilled workers in Nova Scotia, according to the latest labour market forecast released today by BuildForce Canada.

"Total employment levels are expected to remain relatively unchanged," said Rosemary Sparks, Executive Director of BuildForce Canada. "But new job opportunities are emerging more in non-residential maintenance and residential renovation work.

BuildForce Canada's 2016-2025 Construction and Maintenance Looking Forward forecast shows moderate job growth spread across non-residential building construction and civil construction such as new distribution lines and wind projects. New job opportunities are also being created in home renovation and non-residential maintenance work. Renovation activity rises to help sustain the older housing stock as employment in new housing falls.

BuildForce Canada's forecast shows:

• Employment in non-residential building and engineering projects is expected to rise modestly by 1,200 jobs or 8 percent over the next 10 years.
• Residential employment declines by 2,200 jobs as the demand for new housing slows and is only partially offset by growth in renovation work.

"The retirement of 8,500 skilled workers creates the recruitment challenge this decade," added Sparks. "Replacing 24 percent of the workforce over the next 10 years is even more difficult when the pool of young job seekers is shrinking."

BuildForce Canada is a national industry-led organization that represents all sectors of Canada's construction industry. Its mandate is to provide accurate and timely labour market data and analysis, as well as programs and initiatives to help manage workforce requirements and build the capacity and the capability of Canada's construction and maintenance workforce. Visit: www.constructionforecasts.ca

Funded by the Government of Canada's Sectoral Initiatives Program

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