Alberta condo Act calls for firm move-in dates
October 24, 2017
The BC Construction Association (BCCA) is reporting a decrease in the proportion of high school graduates entering the construction trades despite a booming building pace in the province.
For the first time since the BCCA began tracking the statistic four years ago, the ratio of B.C. high school graduates entering construction trades training programs within one year of graduation has reversed.
When the BCCA first began calculating this number in 2013 it estimated that 1 in every 93 students went from Grade 12 into trades training. By 2016 that number improved by 35 per cent to 1 in 69, but this year there has been a slight reversal to 1 in 70.
“In order to fill the predicted shortage of 14,200 construction trades people, 1 in 12 high school graduates need to enter the trades over the next few years” said Chris Atchison, BCCA President. “Although the predicted shortage of construction workers has decreased from 30,000, there’s still a significant gap and the demand for skilled workers remains high.”
There are currently $75.1 billion in construction projects under way in B.C. with the value of future projects estimated at $325 billion.
The construction workforce has grown by 12 per cent this year, with 6 per cent more companies operating and paying a total of $13.2 billion in construction wages. Construction remains B.C.’s largest employer in the goods sector.