Developers, builders and contractors in the Calgary area have an urgent dilemma. There’s lots of construction work, but it’s hard to find workers.
“Calgary builders and developers are increasingly vocal about labour force challenges that threaten their ability to efficiently deliver complex residential and commercial projects,” warns the plugged-in Bill Ferreira, executive director, BuildForce Canada, the respected, industry-led organization working with the construction industry to provide information and resources to assist with its management of workforce requirements. “While some view the current labour shortages as a sudden development, it’s an undisputed fact that the issues have been steadily growing over the past decade.”
Finding workers – from carpenters, electricians and cement masons to millwrights, framers and more – to get Calgary’s commercial and residential construction work done, has been a stealth challenge in the making.
Not enough workers is caused by several factors. The lingering social perception and attitude about “blue collar” careers in trades, and the big demographic shift of retiring Baby Boomers are just two of the often-cited reasons.
“Alberta has experienced consistent demand for skilled trades due to periods of economic growth and rapid urban expansion,” Ferreira says. “Yet, as project demands escalated, recruitment and training systems failed to keep pace. Compounding the issue is the evolution of modern construction, which now requires advanced skills in emerging technologies, sustainable practices and specialized materials.
“Alberta’s growing population and ongoing urbanization, particularly in Calgary and Edmonton, have further strained the system, as these cities continue to demand residential and commercial developments at record levels.”
Adding to the construction worker dilemma is the volatility of Alberta’s economy, historically tied to the resource sector. Construction professionals and analysts explain that economic fluctuations have led to cycles of contraction and expansion, in particularly Calgary construction demand, deterring some potential workers from pursuing long-term careers in the trades.
Construction and some trade union executives are concerned about a deteriorated approach from the federal government, making it more difficult for the construction industry to attract top talent.
For example, the cancellations of the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant and Apprenticeship Completion Grant, and the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant for Women in 2023, are creating barriers to entry into the skilled trades and disincentivize apprentices from completing their program to obtain Red Seal status.
Also, the Apprenticeship Service program, which used to provide small- and medium-sized employers (SME) in the construction and manufacturing sectors up to $20,000 for hiring first year apprentices in the skilled trades has been cancelled.
The experts add that the cyclical nature exacerbates difficulties in recruiting and retaining talent, which is a significant speedbump for many developers, builders and contractors. Ferreira notes that, despite offering competitive wages and rewarding work, the construction industry continues to struggles to hold on to its workforce.
Province-wide stats show that Alberta has more than 50 designated trades in many industries, including building, mechanical, electrical, automotive, manufacturing and service. Some of the most in-demand trades are electricians, carpenters, framers, elevator installers, plumbers, cement masons and concrete finishers, glaziers, ironworkers, millwrights, painter, plasterers, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics, sheet metal workers and sprinkler system installers.
According to Terry Parker, executive director of the Building Trades of Alberta (BTA), promoting the interests of 18 Alberta local trade unions and the 60,000 members who work in the province’s residential, commercial and industrial construction, maintenance and fabrication industries, “Finding workers for commercial, industrial and residential construction has been an issue in our industry for some time now. Many anxieties around labor supply have happened and more skilled trades workers leave maintenance and commercial construction for big industrial construction jobs. It leaves a smaller labour supply to do the work.”
He points out that demographics is very much an issue for finding construction workers for these sectors.
“Across Alberta and nationally, as the population diversifies, so must the skilled trades. It is why BTA is actively pursuing initiatives to bring in women, Indigenous people and new Canadians.” Parker adds that while Alberta’s construction sector is focused on attracting and retaining workers, promoting and marketing the viability of training and apprenticeship programs remains a bit of an uphill challenge.
“Many of the building trades affiliated unions offer comprehensive and up-to-date training and pre-apprenticeship programs. There is definitely a problem getting first-year apprentices work on projects. The BTA is working with our contractor and owner partners to address this problem to ensure that we are creating opportunities for first-year apprentices to receive hands-on work experience,” he says.
Alberta unions and popular academic institutions, like Calgary’s SAIT, are very plugged-in to the problem of Calgary’s skilled worker shortages and, most importantly, finding solutions. Jim Szautner, dean of apprenticeship at Calgary’s SAIT acknowledges that the construction industry needs more skilled workers.
Through partnerships, SAIT is focused on providing specific and relevant programming aligned to the Calgary construction sector’s specific and relevant needs. “This now includes programming in skilled trades and engineering technologies,” he says. “SAIT’s School of Construction has a 92 per cent graduate employment rate, with an average starting salary of $60,000.
“It is important to understand apprenticeship is an investment, and the journeyperson needed today had to start as an apprentice about four years ago.”
With much expertise, Szautner points out that The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF) calculated the average return on investment to employers worked out to $1.47 for every dollar spent on apprenticeship education. “In addition to the economic benefit, CAF reports companies that invest in hiring apprentices experience better health and safety records, improved recruitment and higher rates of retention at the journeyperson level.”
Attracting students to relevant skilled trades and apprenticeship programs is essential for Calgary’s commercial and residential construction sector to find workers.
“SAIT has always focused on supporting the construction sector, particularly within the skilled trades. Partnerships with community groups like Women Building Futures is a great example of how SAIT continues to promote careers in construction to under-represented demographics. These partnerships expand talent pipelines and build diversification in construction.
“In fact, the School of Construction has been running dual-credit programs with high schools for over 12 years, and we’ve seen graduates from these programs become site supervisors and superintendents. These are just a examples of how great careers in the construction sector are, and offer opportunities for upward mobility.”
There is positivity about a new generation of construction workers. From stats and recent trends, he emphasizes that over the past three years SAIT has experienced nearly 50 per cent growth in skilled trades and apprenticeships, with over 8,600 seats available across 27 skilled trades in 2024. “Specific to the construction sector, we offer 14 apprenticeship programs, including skilled trades from bricklayers to steamfitters,” he says.
“While we’ve seen growth across the board for all our apprenticeship programs, some specific trades where we’ve seen significant growth in the construction are the pipe trades (plumber, gasfitter and steamfitter), sheetmetal workers, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics, mobile crane operators, welders and industrial mechanics.”
While finding workers is a real and urgent problem for Calgary construction, the immediate future is encouraging and positive.
“A multi-faceted approach to recruitment and retention is essential,” BuildForce’s Bill Ferreira urges. “The industry must build on its efforts to attract underrepresented groups, including women, Indigenous peoples and immigrants, while creating supportive environments to retain these workers. Clear career advancement opportunities, mentorship programs, and inclusive workplace cultures will be vital to ensuring that once recruited, these individuals remain in the industry.
“But it cannot succeed in isolation. Collaboration between governments, educational institutions and industry stakeholders is essential to creating a comprehensive strategy that ensures a steady pipeline of skilled trades workers for the future.”