FILLING
THE GAP
For years, analysts have sounded the alarm about the
coming retirement of the baby boomers and how their
exit from the workforce will impact the Canadian
economy.
According to a special report published in The Globe and
Mail in November 2015, Canadian labour market growth is
expected to stagnate in the 2020s as retiring boomers create
vacancies that employers will struggle to fill, keeping real
economic growth below two per cent annually over the next
decade. Add to that the country’s declining birth rate, and it’s
clear that something must be done to tap into and develop
new labour sources.
Many in the construction sector have turned their attention
to the country’s Aboriginal communities – including
First Nations, Metis and Inuit people – who combined represent
the fastest growing, youngest segment of the Canadian
population. According to an article published by Indigenous
Corporate Training Inc. of B.C., it is estimated that more
than 600,000 Aboriginal youth will enter the labour market
between 2001 and 2026.
It’s an opportunity that offers a lot of potential, according
to Rosemary Sparks, executive director of BuildForce Canada,
a national not-for-profit construction industry organization.
“We start from the premise that in our industry, we’re going
to lose 250,000 on-site construction workers to retirement
over the next 10 years,” she said. “It’s extremely important
that the industry plans for that loss, and continues to recruit,
train and retain the next generation.”
Aboriginal people represent only 3.7 per cent of people
who work on construction job sites in Canada, according to
Sparks, who said this is “a relatively untapped pool of individuals
that industry should be engaging.”
FEATURE
As baby boomers retire and the traditional labour pool shrinks,
the construction industry is focusing on alternative workforces.
Canada’s young, fast-growing Aboriginal population is an attractive
proposition for an industry eager to engage the next generation.
By Lisa Gordon
The first step in launching a
successful Aboriginal hiring
initiative is establishing
a solid partnership with
local communities
KEEYASK HYDROPOWER LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
PILING CANADA 21