Demographic influences on construction craft shortages in the U. S. and Canada

The United States and Canadian construction markets are facing a shortfall of skilled craft workers in the face of increasing labor demands. There are initial indications that the shortages are already having a significant impact on project performance in the industrial construction sectors. While there are many demographic aspects of the shortage, the authors focus on the shift in aging of the United States and Canadian construction workforce and the effects this is having on the availability of craft workers, especially on highly skilled craft trades such as pipefitters and electricians. Also, the authors examine immigration policy and its influence on the qualifications of the construction workforce. The authors use multiple US and Canadian data sources to examine the trends on both sides of the border, including the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Population Survey, Statistic Canada, and the Build Force Canada datasets. The findings show that while both the US and Canadian construction markets are experiencing an aging workforce, the aging of the US workforce is occurring at a much faster rate.Non UBCUnreviewedFacultyOthe