Quebec needs 17,000 new workers per year
By Adam Freill
Construction LabourCCQ research report outlines the recruiting requirements through to 2028 for the province’s construction sector.
(Photo: Oleksii Liskonih/iStock via Getty Images.)
Facing projected high levels of economic activity in the coming years, the Commission de la Construction du Québec (CCQ) says the province will need 17,000 new workers every year until at least 2028. The CCQ recently released Perspectives régionales dans l’industrie de la construction 2024-2028, outlining the industry’s labour expectations for the next five years.
For the period covered by the research, the recruitment needs cover both replacement needs and openings created by projected growth in hours worked, a figure that is on the rise. Based on CCQ calculations, the annual need for new workers rose by 1,000 over last year’s forecast. While there will be a need for workers throughout all regions of Quebec, the Greater Montreal, Quebec City, and Mauricie–Bois-Franc regions will be particularly affected, says the organization.
“These data confirm that there will be a need for workers for a number of years to come and that the modernization undertaken by our government is necessary,” stated Jean Boulet, Minister of Labour and Minister Responsible for the Mauricie Region, the Abitibi-Temiscamingue Region, and the Nord-du-Quebec Region. “The measures proposed, including building a versatile and mobile workforce, will make it possible to reduce construction delays, lower costs, and ensure a better match between Quebec’s construction capacity and the immense needs.”
To help the industry, the research report includes commentary that aims to provide insights to the CCQ and its partners about improving job retention, ways to attract more graduates to the construction trades, and greater employment of immigrants.
“The construction sector will be looking for around nine per cent of its projected workforce over the next few years, when almost 200,000 workers will be on the job sites,” explained Audrey Murray, CEO of the CCQ. “In 2023, we welcomed 3,950 new construction graduates, out of nearly 15,700 new employees. Strategies to attract, retain and train the workforce we need will have to be bold and agreed with key partners. Intensifying the use of work-study programs is already emerging as an avenue to be favoured. The CCQ will be on hand to implement appropriate solutions.”
