Journal of Commerce February 8, 2012
View from the Board | Bill Stewart

Recent news reports that Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and the federal government are contemplating creating a "skilled worker" stream for permanent immigration are welcome news for the construction industry.

By most accounts, Canada's construction industry will again be plagued with manpower shortages in the near future.

The single largest factor leading to this shortage is the aging workforce. By 2015, it is estimated that 35 per cent of Canada’s population will be aged 55 years or older.


An estimated 3.8 million workers are expected to retire between 2005 and 2015.

In construction, 210,000 of the current 1.2 million workers are expected to retire over the next eight years.


Read the whole article...