Topic
Labour
One third of Indigenous workers in Canada in jobs facing automation, report says
July 8, 2020 Tara Deschamps, The Canadian PressTORONTO—One-third of Canada’s Indigenous workers are in jobs facing a high risk of automation, a new report has found. Researchers at the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, Ryerson University’s Diversity Institute and the Future Skills Centre spent roughly a year…
Sean Strickland named executive director of CBTU
June 15, 2020 On-Site StaffAfter three years with Quebec-based contractor Pomerleau, Sean Strickland is taking over the executive director role at Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU). The alliance of more than a dozen unions in the construction, maintenance and fabrication industries represents approximately half…
Labour market bounces back in May as tens of thousands of construction workers return to job sites
June 5, 2020 by David KennedyThe positive momentum counters major job losses a month earlier, but falls well short of returning labour levels to their pre-crisis level
Construction labour market walloped in April, with job losses topping 300,000
May 8, 2020 by David KennedyThe extent of the job losses is considerable, but the vast majority of the lay-offs are expected to be temporary
Op-Ed: We need more women in the trades
March 8, 2020 Jill Dunlop and Monte McNaughtonLooming shortage of apprentices means lost profits and paycheques for Ontarians
Construction sheds 7,900 jobs in February, snapping three-month win streak
March 6, 2020 On-Site StaffEmployers in Canada’s construction industry pumped the brakes on hiring in February after three-straight months of steady job gains. Statistics Canada reported the industry shed 7,900 jobs, or about 0.5 per cent, last month. This followed an increase of 15,800…
Women made small gains on job sites in 2019, but remain heavily outnumbered throughout construction
March 6, 2020 by David KennedyWomen in construction made significant strides in 2019, particularly in one of the areas they have been most underrepresented traditionally — job sites themselves — but still accounted for little more than 13 per cent of the industry’s total workforce…
Mind the labour gap: Construction industry needs to recruit 307,000 workers over next decade
February 12, 2020 David KennedyThe latest forecast from BuildForce Canada projects continued growth in construction through the mid-2020s. Combined with retirements, the added labour required to keep up with demand will create a substantial gap
Construction labour market closes out 2019 on high note, adding 17K jobs in December
January 10, 2020 On-Site StaffThe construction labour market finished strong in 2019, posting a considerable 17,000-position gain in December. The positive close-out to the year, during which employment gains and losses have seesawed back and forth, translates to a 1.2 per cent increase in…
2020 Construction Forecast: Positive momentum to continue, but industry needs to embrace change
December 18, 2019 David KennedyA steady stream of building projects in most regions of Canada, and particularly within its big urban centres, have kept the construction industry busy through the second half of 2019. Though concerns about how long growth can continue persist, much…
From the editor… Megaprojects test industry’s capacity to deliver
December 14, 2019 by David KennedyFew and far between just a few years ago, multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects have become the norm in Ontario. With planning now underway for four new or extended transit lines in the Toronto area, Canada’s most populous province will be measuring…
Provinces step up with new funds to boost trades during National Skilled Trades and Technology Week
November 8, 2019 On-Site StaffAcross the country, skilled tradespersons are expected to be increasingly short supply in the coming years, in both construction and beyond
Construction industry loses 21,300 jobs in October, led by declines in Quebec, Ontario
November 8, 2019 On-Site StaffA loss of 21,300 construction jobs in October pushed overall employment in the industry down to about 1.46 million, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada — translating to a construction labour market that’s only marginally ahead of where…
EllisDon teams up with Build a Dream to boost construction industry diversification
November 1, 2019 by Megan HoeglerEllisDon and non-profit Build a Dream have partnered up to tackle diversification in the construction industry. The contractor and Windsor-based non-profit organization will work together to attract young women to careers in construction, where only 3.8 per cent of job site…
Construction job market continues to seesaw with solid September gain
October 11, 2019 On-Site StaffThe back and forth in the construction labour market experienced over the past several months continued into September with a significant number of new jobs added during the first month of fall. Employers added 9,800 workers to payroll in September…
Leaders’ debate: Trudeau defends efforts to save SNC-Lavalin jobs. He’s right
October 9, 2019 Bill FlanaganThe SNC-Lavalin scandal has weighed on the prime minister and the Liberals since early this year
Labour shortages are holding back the construction sector: Here’s what governments and businesses can do
October 9, 2019 Dan KellyHaving the right people for the job can make or break a small business. With a smaller team to rely on and fewer resources to devote to hiring, any unfilled position is a strain on productivity. So it’s not surprising…
EllisDon taps two industry veterans to take over operations of Toronto Buildings Group
October 7, 2019 On-Site StaffEllisDon Corp. has named two new vice-presidents of operations within its Toronto Buildings Group. Replacing Tim Smith, who has spent more than three decades with the company and is currently serving as the interim senior vice-president of operations for the…
Ontario Labour ministry inspectors to conduct safety blitz to prevent common injuries
October 2, 2019 Shawn Jeffords, The Canadian PressTORONTO—Inspectors from the Ontario Ministry of Labour will hold a “workplace safety blitz” in the coming months in an effort to prevent the most common on-the-job injuries. Labour Minister Monte McNaughton says the three-month project — running from Oct. 1…
‘They really hate us’: New prompt payment rules may help mend relationship between GCs, subtrades
September 16, 2019 David KennedyTension between separate levels of the construction industry is part of the business. Legal changes may relieve one major source of strain