this post was submitted on 18 Apr 2024
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Canada’s construction worker shortage stands in way of housing boost, CMHC says (globalnews.ca)
submitted 6 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Immigrants are under-represented in the building trades. Although immigrants make up 23 per cent of the Canadian labour market, they comprise only about 18 per cent of workers in the construction industry.

sauce

If we're prioritizing these skills, it doesn't seem to be reflected in the labour market.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

If we’re prioritizing these skills, it doesn’t seem to be reflected in the labour market.

How do you know, though? To say so shouldn't we compare that statistic before/after the addition of immigration programs for trades? Also, the more useful statistic should be the absolute numbers of workers, no? Otherwise you'll might obfuscate the fact that immigration program is working with other concurrent effects (like getting more Canadian trades-people workers as well via immigration from other provinces or investing in more trades-oriented education and career befits etc)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago (2 children)

I've been feeling the housing crisis for the past few years, and I've been listening to podcasts and reading articles about the headwinds construction is facing. Canada has an aging, shrinking construction sector. There aren't enough skilled or unskilled labourers to keep up with demand.

The consensus is that trend will continue. I haven't heard commentators say that immigration is revitalizing the sector. I haven't heard anything about significant policy changes that will attract out prioritize immigrant construction workers.

The closest was an announcement about a path to citizenship for people working construction illegally. But that only applies to people who are already here, so I don't think it really counts.

There was a pre-budget announcement a week or two ago saying that the feds would be jiggling the admission criteria to attract construction workers. I hope it works. It makes sense to try something new.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Do any of those sources you've been following call out that there are empty homes owned by investors and other types of landlords because it's cheaper to let it sit empty than lower rent? There are no homeless families waiting for housing to be built?

Our housing crisis is artificial because Canada turned real estate into a retirement plan

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

So all that you have is the an absence of evidence whether the trades-focused immigration program is having an effect or not... "Revitalizing" was not the initial thesis.