The fridge has stopped working and your frozen food is melting. You call your usual appliance repair service only to find their cadre of four technicians has dwindled to two overloaded workers. They’ll do their best to come as soon as possible but can’t give a specific date. You contact friends about stuffing some food in their freezer and then try to use up the rest before it goes bad. Welcome to the great Canadian skilled trades shortage!
The problem goes far beyond your local appliance technician. It’s nationwide, impacting every industry. A shortage of airplane mechanics is making it increasingly difficult to keep planes in the air. A construction boom in housing and commercial buildings has created unprecedented demand for construction trades. And the need to replace aging transportation infrastructure is occurring simultaneously with population growth requiring new highways and bridges. A survey by Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters found that 42 percent of their member companies had lost contracts or paid late delivery penalties because they lack skilled workers.
How did this skilled trade shortage happen? A big part of the answer is demographics. Many of the baby boomers who built or maintained virtually all the things we take for granted in our modern way of life retired during the COVID shutdowns. And there are more retirements to come. A report released last January by Employment and Social Development Canada projects that 700,000 skilled trades workers are expected to retire by 2028.