The BC Construction Industry is seeing tradespeople return to BC while the Alberta oil patch struggles.
A new survey has found that 45% of employers hired a worker directly out of Alberta’s oil and gas sector last year.
Northern Regional Construction Association CEO Scott Bone says they are seeing a lot of that in Northern BC. “I think what’s really starting to drive the interest in the communities is of course one is the Site C dam… and the downturn in the oil economy.”
“We are cautiously optimistic within the year to come there may be some announcements for LNG that would result in significant opportunities for the trades.” he added
However, the same survey shone a spotlight on an incoming worker shortfall worth about 15,000 trades people in BC.
Two thirds of the provinces trades people are over the age of 45.
Bone says just 1 out of 75 high school students are entering the trades.
“When you look at the number of trades required for the projects there is a significant gap. The post secondary institutions and construction association are making headways but there is still a lot of work to do.”
94% of BC construction employers say they are planning to hire in 2016, while 88% of entry level workers are happy with their wages. The average wage of a BC construction worker is $56,170.
The BC Construction sector is worth an estimated $8.1B.