“There just isn’t enough skilled labour — and unskilled labour, frankly — to do the work that’s needed,” said Mark Cooper, president and CEO of the Saskatchewan Construction Association.We deliver the local news you need in these turbulent times on weekdays at 3 p.m.By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc.
He estimated that with the project growth anticipated in the next two to five years, construction could add at least 25 per cent more workers within the next year.Following the string of layoffs in 2019 and 2020, many employees followed the cyclical nature of the industry to other provinces for work, said Cooper. Others took the opportunity to upgrade or reskill within their trades, or change careers entirely.
“What can I say, there is a shortage of talent,” said Aebig. “There isn’t a sector that isn’t affected in some way, shape or form.” Labour market analysts, like those in the Canadian Labour Congress, say that those statistics are promising but not fully representative, as the reality of the province’s economic recovery is much murkier.