With 700,000 people retiring over the next few years, job vacancies will be rampant in construction, manufacturing, tech
It’s time for employers to step up.
That’s the advice of Ian Howcroft, CEO of Skills Ontario, in looking at the number of unfilled skilled trade jobs predicted for the next few years.
“They can become more engaged with the whole process,” he says.
It’s estimated that about 700,000 skilled trades workers will retire between 2019 and 2028, creating an ever-growing need to recruit and train thousands more, according to the federal government in 2022.
In Ontario alone, there are more than 100,000 unfilled skilled trades jobs in the province right now, and by 2026, roughly one in five job openings in Ontario will be in skilled trades-related fields.
To fill future labour needs, employers have more resources that should make the process easier, says Howcroft, in talking to HRD Canada.
“We often find that they have not been able to, or haven't considered, or don't know how to hire an apprentice… The Ontario government has done a lot of work to create Skilled Trades Ontario to have a one-stop shop purveyor of information and assistance that individuals… and employers can use to find out what they need to do, what they can do, what are the alternatives. There are grant programs and tax credit programs for those that hire an apprentice and work on an apprentice.”
The field of apprenticeship is seeing impressive growth. The Ontario government, for example, increased apprenticeship registrations by 24% in the last year – from 21,971 to 27,319.
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‘We’re always going to need’ skilled trades workers
Construction. Manufacturing, including motor power and industrial. The service sector. Technology.
These are some of the sectors within skilled trades that are in dire need of workers, says Howcroft.
Focusing on the construction sector, he says: “Construction is one of the top employers of skilled workers. And they're having a huge shortage right now in carpenters, in boilermakers, in welders, plumbers and even elevator repair people.
“All the condos, all the buildings that are going up, and all the buildings that have elevators that need to be maintained – if you have an elevator that's not in good condition or working condition, it can take you quite a while to find somebody with the skills of an elevator repair maintenance person.”
Starting with students entering Grade 9 in September 2024, all Ontario students will be required to earn a Grade 9 or 10 Technological Education credit as part of their Ontario Secondary School Diploma.
Filling these job positions has always been and will always be a necessity, says Howcroft.
“We're always going to need people to build things to fix things, to create things.”
But finding the people who are willing to do these jobs has not been easy. While 96 per cent of Canadians agree that the country's workforce needs more skilled trades workers, 76 per cent say they would never pursue a skilled trade for themselves, found a previous 3M Canada study.
‘Very bright’ future for those trained for skilled trades
Thankfully, workers seem to be becoming more interested in these fields, says Howcroft.
“There seems to be a lot more interest, a recognition that these are good careers, good career paths. And I think we are starting to at least deal with some of the negative stigmas that are attached to skilled trades and some technology careers.”
And the COVID-19 pandemic experience may have had a hand in this positive change, he says.
“One thing the pandemic did was highlight and demonstrate what jobs the economy needs to survive and to thrive. We needed to have infrastructure built. We needed to have supply chains maintained. We needed to have those skilled workers that kept the economy flowing, PPE getting out to people… the equipment maintained, so that the economy cannot just survive, but also thrive as we're building the economy for the future.”
There are a lot of arguments that one can present to entice people to build a career in skilled trades, he says.
“You can go into some of these places that have great not just great compensation, but great benefits and pensions. So these are the types of jobs that you can build a life around, support a family with. And they're much needed, and that demand… will continue to increase in growth.”
And skilled trades – and those that come to it – can only grow from here, he says.
“The future is very bright for those that have the training for a skilled trade.”
In March, Ontario announced it was investing another $25 million over three years under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program, which allows the province to nominate for permanent residence individuals who have the skills and experience to contribute to Ontario’s economy in industries like the skilled trades.