CANADIAN CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION
KELLY PANTELUK CONSTRUCTION LTD.
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SHCA Think Big Artwork 2020-Q4 to 2021-Q3 .25 Page Horizontal.pdf 1 2020-08-31 4:46:33 PM
Awareness of – and appreciation
for – diversity and inclusion
has risen dramatically in
recent years, both in society as a whole and in
industry. And while corporations first looked
at diversity and inclusion as corporate social
responsibility, according to a recent McKinsey
study, “companies have increasingly begun to
regard inclusion and diversity as a source of
competitive advantage, and specifically as a
key enabler of growth.”
A study in the American Sociological Review
showed that within businesses, gender and racial
diversity can help companies to increase
sales, attract more customers, get more market
share and earn more profits. And just as importantly
to the bottom line, diverse teams understand
customers’ and clients’ needs better than
homogeneous organizations, leading to better
client relations and more focused innovation.
The Canadian population continues to become
more diverse, and the Canadian workforce
is changing with it. Industry needs to
keep up to keep ahead, and this business case
demonstrates the clear value of – and need for
– diversity and inclusion in Canada’s construction
industry.
No time to wait
The number of unfilled jobs in Canada’s construction
sector outpaced all other industries
and the national average in the first quarters of
2019, according to a report by the Canadian
Federation of Independent Business.
In January 2019, BuildForce estimated that
261,000 industry veterans will retire over the
next decade, while the industry will only hire
221,300 new recruits. Add the expected four
per cent increase in labour demands, and the
Canadian construction industry will need to
attract roughly 80,000 more people than it currently
expects and retain as much of its current
workforce as possible.
To fill the gap, BuildForce says the industry
must focus its recruitment efforts on traditionally
underrepresented groups such as women,
Indigenous Canadians and new Canadians.
Building with women
In 2018, women accounted for only 12 per
cent of the construction workforce, while making
up 47.7 per cent of the national workforce
– a stark difference. Most women in construction
tend to work in offsite occupations such
as business administration, management, sales,
etc. Over 76 per cent of women working in the
The current landscape
In the next decade, Canada will see more than one-fifth
of its construction labour force retire from the job site.
In 1996 – 712,000 people were employed in the
construction sector
Today – 1.5 million people are employed in the
construction sector
By 2027 – 21 per cent of the labour force will be older
than 65 years old
By 2028, about 22 per cent of the current workforce
will be retiring. And it’s the top end – the veterans –
who are leaving, and they can’t be replaced quickly:
training is often a years-long process involving
apprenticeships.
30 Think BIG | Quarter 4 2020 | saskheavy.ca
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