Vancouver needs more skilled trade workers

CIC News
Published: December 1, 2005

The British Columbia (B.C.) Construction Association’s says that 50 per cent more workers in the industry are needed to fill the shortage. This represents an additional 60,000 people than are currently employed in the sector.

We don’t have enough of the skilled trades necessary just to carry out the functional construction tasks,” says economics professor at Simon Fraser University, Lindsay Meredith. “I’d poach everything that was breathing,” She added. The CEO of the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) has also warned that a major provincial construction boom and the 2010 Summer Olympics is leading to a serious shortage of qualified construction workers in Canada’s most western province.

Vancouver- Whistler was awarded The 2010 Summer Olympic Games at a time when “we are not drawing on a big pool of unemployed people,” explains Maurice Levi, professor of international finance at the University of British Columbia (UBC). The labour shortage is expected to continue well after the Olympics, according to the B.C. Construction Association. “We’re very conscious of a shortage right now of […] skilled workers,” explains Manley McLachlan, vice-president of the B.C. Construction Association.

In response to the growing demand for qualified construction trades people, B.C. is now actively looking outside of its borders. “I know contractors that have been to Europe; they’ve conducted job fairs in England, France, Belgium, and other parts of Europe,” says McLachlan. Skilled labour shortages mean that commodity prices will also rise as a result.

The Canadian government has extended a helping hand to ease the labour shortage B.C is currently facing by facilitating work permits for potential immigrants. A new program is now in place that allows employers to identify a qualified skilled worker for “fast-tracked” immigration processing.

Share this article
Share your voice
Did you find this article helpful?
Thank you for your feedback.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Did you find this article helpful?
Please provide a response
Thank you for your helpful feedback
Please contact us if you would like to share additional feedback, have a question, or would like Canadian immigration assistance.
  • Do you need Canadian immigration assistance? Contact the Contact Cohen Immigration Law firm by completing our form
  • Send us your feedback or your non-legal assistance questions by emailing us at media@canadavisa.com
Top Stories
Canadian cities rank among best in the world for quality of life in 2024
IRCC announces transitional measures for some students changing DLIs next year
The major changes to Canadian permanent resident pathways in 2024
Join our free newsletter. Get Canada's top immigration stories delivered to your inbox.
Subscribe
More in Canada
Canadian cities rank among best in the world for quality of life in 2024
A woman and a child stand on a sandy beach
The major changes to Canadian permanent resident pathways in 2024
People walking on a busy street in Downtown Toronto
These are the new immigration pathways coming to Canada in 2025
A woman holds a Canadian flag while standing close to a picturesque waterbody
New findings: newcomer entry wage growth outstripped Canadian wage growth
A man holds his wallet filled with Canadian money, in what appears to be a shoe store.
Link copied to clipboard