Job vacancies double in P.E.I. construction sector

This story is part of the series Job Shift: How work on P.E.I. has changed in the pandemic.

Construction companies on P.E.I. are having a hard time finding workers, and employers say a lot of different factors have come together to create the problem.

As recently as this summer, the Construction Association of P.E.I. was estimating about 500 vacancies in the sector. General manager Sam Sanderson now puts that number closer to 1,000.

"We continue to struggle to find a skilled workforce for the industry here on Prince Edward Island," said Sanderson.

"We struggle in every level, from entry-level positions into the skilled trades, you know, from all sectors as well."

The construction industry has been booming for several years, with the population on the Island growing quickly and demand for new housing and other infrastructure high. That demand is not diminishing, Sanderson said.

But even with the high demand, Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey shows the actual number of people working in construction has fallen about 10 per cent in the last two years.

As with so much that has been disrupted in our lives in the last two years, APM Group CEO Tim Banks thinks part of the blame can be laid at the door of the pandemic.

"The pandemic certainly changed how people dealt [with working] within their household," said Banks.

Construction was one of the few industries that was allowed to continue to operate without major adjustments, even in the spring of 2020. But construction workers were still in a position to notice how work was changing for others.

"People are working from home now, they've got other options in their lives," said Banks.

"Construction is a struggle. It's a tough business. You have to work in the outdoors, so people look for other options out there and I think they've transitioned their workplace."

It doesn't necessarily mean they've left construction altogether, said Banks, but with demand high and with a desire for a different kind of work-life balance, they may have moved into self-employment.

"They've gone out on their own and they're doing smaller projects for people who are maybe building an office in their house or they're putting a garage on or whatever and they haven't come back to the traditional workplace," he said.