Construction industry welcomes long-awaited tool to project labour requirements

OTTAWA, June 21 /CNW Telbec/

A first-of-its-kind forecasting model released today by the Construction Sector Council (CSC) indicates a growing need for a mobile workforce able to move between provinces, industries and sectors to keep pace with the increased demand for skilled trades.

The model creates an assessment of demand for 38 trades and occupations
in every province, from 2005 to 2013.

"This industry has long needed a sophisticated economic forecasting tool like this to help us with the why, where and when of on-time, on-budget project planning,"

says Tim Flood, CSC business co-chair and president of
John Flood and Sons Ltd.

"These projections are an excellent starting point for analysis that can be refined with updated information - a new sharp tool for the risk management tool box."

Working with the CSC and senior economists, the model was developed with
input from owners, contractors, labour groups and government representatives
from all provinces, and from all sectors of the industry who have brought
unique and relevant information to the table. The result is a national summary
and 10 provincial "Construction Looking Forward" reports for use by industry
stakeholders.

"These forecasts will go a long way to ensure the continued growth of a major, multi-billion dollar industry that is a barometer for Canada's economy,"

says Bob Blakely CSC labour co-chair and director of Canadian
Affairs for the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO.

"They will help guide human resource planning and policy, training curriculums, career planning, and more,"

he adds.

"Bringing together such a large network of stakeholders with key information like major projects, workers' age demographics, and available training is a groundbreaking initiative for the construction industry. This type of detailed forecasting would not have been possible without the significant contribution of more than 100 different construction industry partners."

The national summary forecast was released June 21. It can be viewed at
www.csc-ca.org. Funding for this project was provided by the Government of Canada's Sector Council Program.

The CSC is a not-for-profit, independent labour/business partnership organization established in 2001, to address the current and future human resource needs of the construction industry in Canada.

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