'Let's put them to work': Strategy underway to recruit skilled labourers to P.E.I.

Prince Edward Island's need for construction workers to build homes has never been greater, but funding announced Wednesday could have job sites bustling with more workers soon.

At least that's what the Construction Association of P.E.I. hopes will happen with money granted to develop an Atlantic Canada recruitment strategy for skilled labourers from outside the country.

The industry has been talking about worker shortages in the industry for years, but this is the first time the provincial and federal governments have kicked in money for recruitment, as a national housing crisis wears on.

Construction association general manager Sam Sanderson said the strategy will let members of the industry recruit foreign workers face to face.

Sam Sanderson, general manager of the Construction Association of P.E.I., says the industry is currently short about 1,500 workers across the province. (Steve Bruce/CBC)

"We've been campaigning for a while now around the opportunity to do this. Who better to recruit for the industry than the industry itself? We know what the industry needs and wants are," he said.

"To physically go into a jurisdiction to see what they're building and how they're building it, but also having the conversations with some individuals on the ground to find out what the opportunities are, will be tremendously valuable to every contractor and every builder here in P.E.I."

The recruitment strategy is being supported by $210,000 from the federal Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, along with $160,000 from Skills P.E.I.

The association hopes to recruit skilled labourers like roofers, electricians, plumbers and HVAC specialists. It's already planning its first trip to the United Kingdom and Ireland at the end of April.

Sanderson said the industry is working with the federal government to ensure it's easier for recruited workers to come to Canada, and it's also lobbying for P.E.I. to recognize workers with skills that are similar or equivalent to Red Seal credentials.

"Let's put them on a job site, let's put them to work," he said. "I'm a firm believer that the proof is in the pudding. Show me that you can do something and we can work with you all day long."

Housing in short supply; so are workers

P.E.I.'s housing shortage has been described as being at crisis level since 2018, and a shortage of skilled workers to build homes has only contributed to the problem.

Sanderson said there are now 1,000 to 1,500 vacancies in P.E.I.'s construction industry.

Without a significant influx of new skilled tradespeople, he said, companies will continue to be stretched too thin.

"[A] company that may be struggling with attracting new labour [is] running into some challenges because their senior people are spending more time training than they are being productive and actually building," he said. "We want to make sure that we're a more welcoming industry and we're creating positivity and opportunity.

"I'm interested in having a conversation with anyone and everyone that's interested in construction."