At the start of 2020, Ontario’s construction industry was anticipating another year of solid growth, but that trajectory was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. While construction has shown great resilience, the pace of recovery has been mixed, both provincially and across sectors. For Ontario, a long list of current and proposed transit, health care, utilities and other infrastructure projects are expected to sustain strong levels of activity with potential recruiting challenges as labour demands rise under low rates of unemployment.

The unprecedented impact of the pandemic does not alter the underlying aging demographic challenges facing construction and the expected retirements over the next decade: a significant loss of skilled and experienced workers. Even as concerns over COVID-19 recede, the industry must continue to commit to broader recruitment and training to meet future needs.