The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association Alberta (ICBA Alberta), a chapter of the country’s largest construction association, today released results of a new poll about careers in the construction trades. The poll shows nearly 50% of Calgarians have a positive view of working in the trades and would recommend a career in the trades to others.
In light of severe shortages of such tradespeople, and more than 7,000 vacancies in Calgary alone, this is encouraging news.
“I’m encouraged by these results and hopeful we can make progress to recruiting more youth into fulfilling careers in construction,” said ICBA Alberta President Mike Martens. “When we think of problems like affordable housing and deteriorating living standards, one of the issues holding the country back is not having enough skilled tradespeople. I’m hoping this is another early sign we can turn things around.”
Recently the Government of Alberta released its first quarter of 2024 construction labour report, showing that 12,000 more people were working in construction in March of 2024 compared to the same period last year. At the same time, domestic and international immigration to Alberta is reaching historic levels. However, CIBC Economics reports that only 2% of new permanent immigrants to Canada enter the construction trades.
“Our aging population is pushing us over a demographic cliff, so Alberta needs immigration, but we need to find the right balance,” said Martens. “We must do a better job of identifying the skills gaps we are facing (doctors, nurses, technicians, teachers, and trades people) and recruiting the people with the skills to power our economy to come to Canada.”
As a leading sponsor of apprentices, a provider of more than $200,000 in bursaries per year, and a deliverer of 900 professional development courses, ICBA supports businesses who are ready to hire new workers.
“We represent the open shop, merit construction sector, the small and medium-sized contractors that make up 88% of the construction industry in Alberta,” said Martens.
Read Calgary Public Opinion Survey HERE.