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Procore and Mike Holmes Address the Labour Shortage in Ontario

At the annual Lobby Day at Queen’s Park in Toronto, the Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA), and Procore along with a special guest, Mike Holmes, were there to support the promotion of the skilled trades in Ontario. Lobby Day is dedicated to informing our Ministers about the unique challenges an industry faces, and the social and economic benefits each industry brings to the province—in this case, we focus on construction.

Mike Holmes, widely known as a professional contractor and television host, his most popular show being Holmes on Homes, is one of North America’s most trusted contractors who has gained the trust of homeowners and the respect of the construction industry worldwide. The OGCA and Procore brought Holmes in to speak on the labour shortage, which is rampant across Canada, but more specifically in Ontario.

Procore and Mike Holmes
Mike Holmes and Jas Saraw, VP Canada, Procore at OGCA’s Lobby Day.

Despite near-record employment and a strong economy, the skilled labour shortage in construction has been one of the biggest challenges facing contractors for nearly a decade now.

Currently in the industry:

  • Retirements are happening among older generations, and younger generations are turning down construction jobs in favour of other more tech-focused industries.
  • More than half (58%) of large construction organizations in Canada – those with 250+ employees – say that are experiencing talent shortages this year.
  • Skilled trade workers (electricians, welders, mechanics), sales representatives, drivers, engineers, and technicians have consistently ranked among the top five hardest roles to fill in Canada for the past ten years.

Further in the industry:

  • Ontario alone is expected to see over 80,000 people retire in the construction industry over the next decade.
  • By 2027, the province will need to attract over 100,000 additional people into construction in order to keep pace with the province’s infrastructure demands.

The construction industry has traditionally been fairly slow to adopt new technology to boost productivity. This is now changing as companies are increasingly losing employees because they don't offer top tier technology (sometimes no technology at all). With today's labour shortage crisis, not having top tier technology could be a serious disadvantage when it comes to retaining current employees or hiring top talent.

Construction is in the middle of a digital transformation, and companies who are quick to adopt technology have found that it has not only helped them stay at the forefront of a competitive market, and have turned the labour shortage into an opportunity rather than a detriment.

If you’d like to learn more about how top tier technology can help your company with today’s labour shortage, click here.