BC Construction Industry Hiring Workers Back From Alberta

VICTORIA, BC – Strong activity in British Columbia’s construction industry is drawing skilled workers back to the province from Alberta and more young people are entering the trades, according to the 2016 Construction Industry Survey released today by the BC Construction Association, in partnership with Progressive Contractors Association and Construction Labour Relations.

The survey found that 45 per cent of employers hired a worker last year that came directly from working in Alberta’s oil and gas sector. The number of youth going directly into the construction trades from high school is up 15 per cent since 2014.

“The record number of construction projects now underway and the outlook for sustainable growth is drawing British Columbians back home,” said BCCA President Manley McLachlan. “The message is starting to sink in with youth and their parents that a career in the trades is a great choice. This is helping BC employers succeed in a very mobile and highly competitive labour market, but there is much more work to do to fill the skills gap.”

While key economic data in the 2016 survey confirm a healthy and expanding sector, storm clouds continue to loom on the horizon for BC’s $8.1 billion construction sector. Two-thirds of workers in skilled trades are now over the age of 45 and in their wake there are not enough new people entering the field. These demographic trends and a projected increase in construction activity are forecast to create a 15,000 worker shortfall.

“To avoid labour shortages that could stunt economic growth industry and governments need to continue to work together to skill-up BC’s workforce,” said McLachlan.

The 2016 survey also provides the most complete picture to date of trade wages and salaries in BC’s construction sector. Some key findings include:

  • 94% of BC construction employers say they are planning to hire in 2016. These will be predominantly full-time, year-round jobs.
  • 50% of employer respondents reported offering higher wages than 2015.
  • 88% of entry-level workers are happy with their wages.
  • 44% of apprentices received a raise in 2015.
  • $56,170 is the average annual salary of a BC construction industry worker.

“Skilled workers are the backbone of the industry, and tight supply is making it a worker’s market. Employers need to focus on retaining the talent they have,” said McLachlan.

Read the full 2016 BC Construction Industry Survey at www.bccassn.com.

For more information, please contact:

Stephen Richter
BCCA Marketing & Communications
(250) 475 1077
stephen.richter@bccassn.com

 

 

 

2020 Annual Report Cover Image.png
September 21, 2020

BCCA Releases it's 2020 Annual Report
On Friday, September 18th, The BCCA held it's Annual General Meeting and shared it's latest Annual Report which covers the fiscal period between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2020.
Read More
BCCA Builders Code Champion Awards Finalists.jpg
November 29, 2019

Inaugural Builders Code Champion Awards Celebrate Construction Sector Leadership
Nine months after unveiling the resources to help the industrial, commercial, and institutional construction sector set a standard code of conduct on worksites in B.C., the Builders Code has honoured six companies for their leadership at the inaugural Builders Code Champion Awards. Hosted by the BCCA and Minerva BC at the Ocean Pointe Resort in Victoria yesterday, the awards recognized companies with advanced policies and practices that seek to ensure all employees can reach their full potential in the skilled trades.
Read More
Feature-Graphic.png
November 26, 2019

BCCA Celebrates National Construction Day with New Worksite Behavior Training App
As part of its ongoing efforts to address bullying, hazing, and harassment on B.C. construction worksites, the BC Construction Association (BCCA) is marking National Construction Day with the beta launch of a new Builders Code Crew Training App that uses animation and humour to help construction workers recognize the difference between “Cool or Tool” behavior on the worksite.
Read More
trans-mountain-pipeline.png
August 23, 2019

BCCA Welcomes Trans Mountain Announcement Resuming Work on Pipeline Expansion Project
The BC Construction Association welcomes Wednesday’s (Aug. 21) announcement by Trans Mountain Corporation President and CEO Ian Anderson that construction work on the project will resume in communities along the route, including an immediate return to work at B.C.’s Burnaby Terminal and Westridge Marine Terminal. According to Trans Mountain, this will see 4,200 contract workers working along the route in B.C. and Alberta in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Read More
NRCA_BBQ_BuildersCode3.jpg
August 20, 2019

Builders Code Ramps Up Services Across Northern Region
New Builders Code training for site supervisors, forepersons and union business managers on how best to deal with the perpetrators and targets of worksite bullying and harassment was announced today in Prince George, along with a new local Employer Advisor for the northern region. The training, which supports the construction personnel that work most closely with tradespeople on construction sites, was announced by Northern Regional Construction Association (NRCA) CEO Scott Bone.
Read More
July 04, 2019

Aligning the Construction and Technology Sectors
Construction is changing. With a skilled labour shortage and other pressures affecting our industry, it is more important than ever to innovate and become a future-forward construction company. New technologies that help us become more productive and efficient are critical to moving the construction industry forward, but can also feel overwhelming at times.
Read More
June 27, 2019

Multibillion Dollar BC Construction Sector Untapped by Tech
In the midst of a sector-wide drive for greater innovation and productivity in the face of a booming industry and a looming skills shortage, a recent State of Construction Technology survey conducted by the British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) shows B.C.’s construction employers are underserved by a tech sector that is largely unaware of the huge potential market they represent.
Read More
BuildersCode-Bricklok-7.jpg
March 19, 2019

Builders Code Expansion: First Advisor Now Available to Vancouver Island Construction Employers
Industry Seeks to Improve Retention of Skilled Tradeswomen by Addressing Worksite Behaviour. Construction employers who want to address diversity or harassment issues on their worksites but lack the human resources personnel or expertise to do so will now have access to confidential advisors with experience in HR management, mediation and conflict resolution as part of the Builders Code recently launched by the BC Construction Association and project partners.
Read More
BuildersCode_Launch_0218.jpg
March 08, 2019

BC Construction Industry Introduces Worksite Conduct Standards to Improve Worker Retention
The Province of B.C. and the BC Construction Association (BCCA) marked International Women’s Day today with the launch of the Builders Code, a comprehensive program that aims to address B.C.’s skilled labour shortage by reducing harassment, bullying and hazing on construction worksites. The Builders Code defines an Acceptable Worksite and provides employers with tools, training and resources to improve and promote safe and productive worksite behavior.
Read More
February 25, 2019

Risk Alerts Issued for Two Provincial Construction Projects
The BC Construction Association (BCCA) has today issued two Contractor’s Alerts warning BC contractors of “Onerous Bidding Conditions” on two Prince George construction projects being procured by BC Housing. The projects are a building envelope remediation on Westwood Court and renovation work on the Hart Haven Group Home at Dagg Road, both in Prince George. Total value of both projects is $9.5M - $5M on Westwood Court and $4.5M on the Hart Haven project.
Read More
lng-ttf-1000.png
February 07, 2019

Supporting BC's Skilled Workforce
LNG Canada and the BC Construction Association (BCCA) today announced that Marissa McTavish, an electrical apprentice from Prince George, has become the 1,000th participant in LNG Canada’s Trades Training Fund (TTF) and her employer, Primus Electric, the 500th employer to sponsor an employee with the Fund.
Read More
ircc_social-media_02.jpg
January 22, 2019

British Columbia Construction Association Selected to Provide Pre-Arrival Services
Pre-arrival settlement services are a key element of Canada’s immigration program. They provide newcomers, including refugees, with the information and settlement support they need to make informed decisions about their new life in Canada before they arrive, such as how to prepare for finding a job. To help deliver these important services, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will be providing funding of $3.4 million to the British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA).
Read More
bcca-logo-bug-white(1).png
September 17, 2018

BCCA Integrated Membership Update 2017

There are a record-breaking number of significant issues applying pressure to BC’s construction industry this year, and BCCA is working at the provincial level to make sure industry’s concerns and recommendations are heard loud and clear.
Read More
tmx-workers.jpg
August 30, 2018

Response to Federal Court of Appeal's Trans Mountain Pipeline Decision
BCCA is extremely disappointed by the Federal Court of Appeal's Trans Mountain expansion project decision today which undermines Canada’s economy and role on the global stage. This blow to investor confidence comes at a time when BC is already under pressure from new tariffs, taxation, and policy directives.
Read More
PlumbingCode2012_cover(0).jpg
August 24, 2018

New BC Building and Plumbing Code 2018
The new BC Building and Plumbing Code will be effective December 10, 2018 and will apply to building permits applied for on or after that date. The BC Fire Code is anticipated to be adopted in the fall of 2018 and effective December 10, 2018. Buildings with permits in place under the previous 2012 BC Building Code will generally not be affected by the adoption of the new code.
Read More
bcca-board-exec.png
August 02, 2018

Industry Voices - Industry Must Come Together
Premier Horgan's Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) is the most dangerous and disruptive policy to be introduced by any government into our industry in recent memory. Whether you are a union or an open-shop employer, your basic rights and freedoms as Canadians are being blatantly disregarded, as is government's obligation for fair, open and transparent procurement practises.
Read More
pattullo-bridge-replacement.png
July 27, 2018

Pattullo Procurement Strategy Takes BC Construction a Bridge Too Far
The new Pattullo Bridge Community Benefits Agreement patently illustrates what is unfair with our current government’s policy decision to mandate the nature and extent of procurement requirements in major public construction projects. For BCCA, an association that hinges its principles on fair, open and transparent procurement practices, this agreement is taking public policy in construction tendering a bridge too far.
Read More
bcca-logo-bug-white.png
July 18, 2018

Response to the Province’s Community Benefits Agreement Announcement
BCCA is working with our counterparts at the local, provincial and national levels to inform government on the risks of Community Benefit Agreements, and to educate public owners on the use of fair, open, and transparent procurement processes which are an obligation and responsibility of government to taxpayers.
Read More
youth-apprentice-848x480(0).png
June 21, 2018

Tackling the Late Payment Epidemic: What Will It Take?
"Prompt payment” is a familiar issue in the construction industry. Of course there’s nothing prompt about it. It’s the LACK of prompt payment that makes it an issue, handicapping our industry, squeezing the small contractors, and pushing risk down into the supply chain onto those who can least afford to carry it.
Read More
URBC_Full-Banner.png
May 30, 2018

Understanding Risk British Columbia (UR+ BC) Video #URBC
The Understanding Risk British Columbia (UR+ BC) symposium, hosted April 16 & 17, 2018 in Victoria BC, marked the first time the construction industry played a leadership role in bringing together builders, designers, engineers, scientists, and policymakers to tackle the challenges of hazard mitigation and increased resilience in the industrial, commercial, and institutional built environment.
Read More
trans-mountain-pipeline.png
May 29, 2018

BCCA Response to Federal Purchase of Trans Mountain pipeline for $4.5 Billion
Official Statement - The BC Construction Association has long been a strong public supporter of BC’s oil and gas strategy and of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline in particular, recognizing the significance of the project for the economic prosperity of British Columbia and the rest of Canada provided that all environmental safety stipulations are met.
Read More
construction-leadership-winners-2018.png
April 17, 2018

Construction Leadership Award Winners 2018
#ConstructionMonthBC wouldn't be complete without a Construction Leadership Dinner. We honoured Amy Carr, Mary-Anne Bowcott, Karen Anderson, Becky Lupton, Max Ignatiuk, Jerry Pasitney & Tracey MacKinnon for their industry leadership roles.
Read More
Jessica-S-profile.png
April 12, 2018

UR+ BC Panelist: Jessica Shoubridge
Principal, Thrive Consulting, Director, EERI-BC, and UR+ BC Organizer, Jessica Shoubridge, has worked across all orders of government, academia, non-profits and the private sector to help bridge gaps between science, policy, and action for risk reduction and resilience building.
Read More
mic-lisa-lucy.png
March 19, 2018

A Conversation with Dr. Lucy Jones
We're with Lucy Jones, an expert in earthquake research and earthquake risk reduction from LA. Lucy is the 2018 distinguished lecturer for the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, BC Branch. She's in Victoria to talk about creating resilience in our communities, particularly about creating building codes that reflect the realities of earthquake loses.
Read More