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Women of the Building Trades

Written By Lindsay Amundsen,
Director of Program Development and Operations for J urnyeman

J urneyman is a national CBTU program that promotes, supports and
mentors women in the unionized skilled construction trades.

A SKILLS GAP IS COMING — AND THAT’S GOOD NEWS “The truth of the demographic
picture is that the Baby Boom
In Canada women represent only 4% of the construction trade
Generation is leaving—over 25% of
workforce. In other skilled trades, that number is even smaller
the industry will turn over in the
In an industry already facing skilled labour shortages, studies short- to mid-term. Women have the
show that a large population of existing trades workers are ability to change the template, the
gearing up for retirement. BuildForce Canada estimates that workplace and the norm. They add
100,000 new workers will need to be recruited—in addition to the dimension of brains and a fresh
the natural attrition caused by retirements—from outside the way of looking at things, and that is
construction industry between 2013 and 2021 to help required,” said Robert Blakely,
compensate for this gap. CBTU’s Chief Operating Officer.
< Story continues on page 4 >

CANADIAN BUILDING TRADES MAGAZINE M AY 2014 ~ 3