HUMAN RESOURCES
The Looming
Trades Shortage
Is it real in rural Manitoba?
By Rob Starkell, co-owner, West-Can Human Resource Solutions
The boom-and-bust cycle of
business is pretty much par for
the course in the construction
industry. The industry often rides
high in times of strong economic growth,
government spending and favourable commodity
pricing. However, when something
goes off-track (inflation, increased oil pricing,
pandemic, etc.) capital spend budgets
quickly evaporate along with demand for
construction companies’ services. In 2020,
and thus far in 2021, the industry has been
both hit hard by the pandemic and enjoying
strong demand, depending on the sector.
Residential and some industrial sectors
are enjoying increased demand, but many
commercial and heavy industrial sectors
are weak. While newsworthy, these ups and
downs in the industry are not uncommon.
Likewise, COVID-19 has created many
spin-off issues for the industry to absorb
and deal with:
• With countries protecting their
resources, factory output decreases due
to labour restrictions, lumber supply
issues and border closures, unknown
supply and price fluctuations are causing
havoc for both pricing of projects
and scheduling.
• Government responses including
stimulus spending and health-related
restrictions vary by country and region,
creating more uncertainty for construction
companies.
• The pace of recovery and vaccinations
amid new waves of COVID-19 infection
and variants brings starts and stops,
increased costs and bottlenecks in terms
of labour and material availability.
Rob Starkell
ANTONIO DIAZ/123RF
BUILDING RURAL MANITOBA | 45