Labour shortage spooks Quebec builders

June 3, 2019

In the midst of the strongest residential construction market in decades—if not history—Quebec home builders and developers are most concerned about a shortage of skilled labour.
The issue of trade and labour shortage is important, not just in terms of how it impacts costs but also product delivery timelines, notes a trend survey released by Altus Group.
The survey found that nearly 80 per cent of both residential and non-residential builders in Quebec cited labour shortages as a “challenge.” This concern surpassed traditional worries such as land costs, profit margins, financing and development approval delays.
According to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., there were 3,886 housing starts in Quebec centres with 10,000 or more inhabitants in March 2019. This represents a 37 per cent increase compared to March 2018 with Gatineau (+705 per cent), Sherbrooke (+122 per cent) and Greater Montreal (+58 per cent) registering the largest growth rates.