Despite Continued Growth, Less Women Taking Advantage Of Need For Tradespeople
The number of women working in trades has begun to slip after several years of progressive growth.
BRITISH COLUMBIA – Construction in BC continues its torrid pace, but there are some clouds on the horizon that trouble organizations that monitor the sector.
As businesses face challenges including slow payments for invoices – including from the provincial government on major projects – there is also the long-foretold skilled labour shortage, as companies scramble to find new tradespeople, and try to keep those they already have.
In the midst of this, the number of women working in trades has begun to slip after several years of progressive growth. BC’s construction industry is 95.5 per cent male, and since the Covid 19 pandemic, gender diversity has taken a backwards step, with tradeswomen dropping from 6.3 per cent to 4.50 per cent of the skilled workforce.
BCCA President Chris Atchison
“One of the most disappointing trends this year is the 21 per cent decrease in tradeswomen, a sharp reversal after several years of solid gains,” notes BC Construction Association (BCCA) President Chris Atchison.
That revelation comes despite the fact that labourers and skilled workers are reaping the benefits of short supply, Atchison explains.
“The job market remains highly competitive, driving annual earnings up 22 per cent in the last five years to an average of $70,088,” he adds. “Most workers are working full time and earning overtime, and roughly 45 per cent of respondents reported changing employers within the last year for higher pay.”
Women are earning recognition for their contributions, as the April 19 annual BCCA gala included Julia Murrell of Vancouver’s Kindred Construction earning one of their Leadership Awards, which honoured outstanding leadership in apprenticeship and community building.
So it’s not like there is a lack of interest or effort in attracting more women into the construction workforce.
Build TogetHER BC, is a campaign of the BC Building Trades network that promotes, supports and mentors women in the skilled construction trades.
Their website states that “Studies and industry reports show that a large population of skilled trade workers are gearing up for retirement. An estimated 300,000 new workers will need to be recruited from outside the construction industry over the next decade to compensate for this gap. This is an enormous opportunity for women seeking secure, well-paid and fulfilling employment.”
It continues by noting that the construction industry is viewed as being the ‘last frontier’ in terms of increasing numbers of female representation.
“Other industries and sectors – the military, law enforcement, etc. have surpassed 15 per cent female representation. The numbers of women in construction has remained unchanged for years. The tradeswomen of Build TogetHER, together with industry support—plan to change this.
“For centuries, construction workers passed on the knowledge of their craft from father to son. This generational “passing of the torch” led to insular recruiting strategies in the past. Contemporary advertising strategies perpetuate the assumption by heavily gearing images and language towards men. The Build TogetHER program has tailored strategies to actively recruit & retain women to the industry.”
Troika founder Renee Merrifield
Similarly, Canadian Construction Women, which started in 1981, provides its members with opportunities for support, mentoring, networking, community involvement, learning and development, in order to see that a career in the building industry offers a world of opportunity. It exists to attract and retain women in the industry.
Women in Construction (WiC) is a grassroots Vancouver Island network with chapters in Victoria and Nanaimo that work to promote and support female participation in construction.
WiC is open to anyone who considers themselves a “woman in construction”, as well as those who support women working in the industry. The network is comprised of private and public sector workers, students, engineers, apprentices, labourers, tradespersons, project managers, developers, architects and professional admin staff.
Those connected to the construction industry benefit from the guest speakers touching on topics such as Marketing for Construction Companies, Work-Life Balance and the Current State of the Construction Industry.
There are very successful, award winning women owners and operators in the construction industry.
In Kelowna, Renee Merrifield created Troika Management Corp., and the company continues to thrive, even though she is now the MLA for Kelowna-Mission, after she won the seat in the provincial legislature in 2020. Troika has expanded to build projects throughout Western Canada.
Donna Hais of R.W. (Bob) Wall Contracting Ltd.
Nanaimo’s Donna Hais is General Manager and owner of R.W. (Bob) Wall Contracting Ltd., a very successful construction company that has built numerous award winning commercial buildings. She took the reins of the company from her father, who focused largely on residential buildings, and Donna now runs a total of 14 different companies, besides being Chair of the Port of Nanaimo Board of Directors.
Sooke’s Mary-Anne Bowcott is a journeyman plumber, Class B gasfitter, and certified steep-slope roofer and owns Westcom Plumbing and Gas, which is an all-female company. In 2019, Bowcott was named the Canadian Construction Association person of the year, and in 2018 was a recipient of the BC Construction Industry Leader Award. She has also won back-to-back Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce Excellence Awards.
Remaining profitable in the construction industry, despite the fact its contribution to BC’s Gross Domestic Product is up four per cent over 2022 and remains the top employer in the province’s goods sector with 251,100 direct employees, is becoming more difficult.
“Contractors are working harder than ever but not always getting ahead, often due to issues related to non-payment and late payment or unfair contract terms,” states BCCA President Atchison. “Contractors need an industry with a manageable level of risk, and government needs to be able to build housing and other infrastructure with predictable timelines and budgets.”
To that end, he says the BCCA is advocating for three changes that will address the challenges facing BC’s builders as well as the owners who need the work to be done on budget and on time.
Mary-Anne Bowcott, centre, is the owner of Westcom Plumbing and Gas in Sooke
Atchison notes that includes introducing prompt payment legislation to normalize standard, reasonable payment terms of 30 days, ensure proper invoices are paid, and give clear rights to lien hold-back monies. Making public sector projects more attractive to industry by having fair, open and transparent procurement processes and reasonable contract conditions. And speeding up the permit process with the authorities having jurisdiction, including municipalities and BC Hydro.
“While we continued to celebrate this crucial industry, we also took the opportunity lay bare the hard truth: contractors are losing ground as the industry groans under the strain of operational pressures,” he says, citing information gleaned from a recent survey to members that received 1,300 responses. “Shockingly, 61 per cent of contractors who responded told us that they had thought about leaving the industry during the past year.
“Until BC catches up to the rest of Canada, the USA and Britain and introduces Prompt Payment Legislation, policy-makers need to be tuned into the fact that the financial risks for BC’s contractors are nearing a breaking point,” he warns. “There are actions that industry and government can take together and separately that will alleviate the challenges contractors are facing.”
By Mark MacDonald
