Planned Projects To Create New Construction Jobs

Industry Works to Counter Baby Boomer Exodus

New Brunswick – Proposed resource projects are expected to raise construction employment in New Brunswick higher from 2017 to 2019 while rising retirements add to long-term market challenges, according to the latest labour market forecast released today by BuildForce Canada.

“The retirement rate in New Brunswick’s construction industry far exceeds the national average at more than 27 percent,” said Rosemary Sparks Executive Director of BuildForce Canada. “Replacing as many as 8,000 baby boomers this decade puts a lot of pressure on industry to make up for such a significant loss of skills and experience.”

BuildForce Canada’s 2016‒2025 Construction and Maintenance Looking Forward forecast shows proposed pipeline, marine terminal and resource projects are driving job growth from 2017 to 2019, but much depends on the timing of major projects. Most of the non-residential construction hiring will take place next year, as the workforce returns to the record high level of 2011. Labour requirements in non-residential construction shift after 2020, when planned major projects wind down. Job losses will be partly offset by moderate growth in commercial and institutional building construction, a proposed hydro dam refurbishment project and growing demand in maintenance work. At the end of the scenario period, the construction workforce is expected to have grown by more than 1,800 workers.

BuildForce Canada’s forecast also shows:

• Industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) building activity is projected to rise across the scenario period, adding 600 jobs.
• Maintenance-related employment shows steady, moderate growth, adding 500 jobs from now to 2025.
• Moderate growth in residential building activity that starts in 2017 restores some jobs lost during a decline in housing activity from 2011 to 2016. While home renovation work rises modestly, total residential employment remains relatively unchanged by the end of the scenario period.

“Rising retirements and a smaller pool of young people to draw from may create recruiting challenges across the outlook period,” added Sparks. “Companies may need to rely on labour mobility of skilled trades from other sectors or provinces to help meet demand.”

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

For further information, contact: Rosemary Sparks, Executive Director, BuildForce Canada, [email protected] or (905)-852-9186

Funded by the Government of Canada’s Sectoral Initiatives Program