Quebec construction industry hoping to fill 500 jobs

Quebec's construction association welcomed 1,500 people to its second job fair in Old Montreal to attract a new generation of workers in the midst of a staff shortage.

The Association de la construction du Quebec (ACQ) hopes to fill 500 jobs currently available in the sector.

As Quebec grapples with a housing crisis, the construction sector is searching for ways to help. It’s doing so through the Montreal construction job fair.

The event hopes to recruit men, women and even secondary school students to the field.

Gregoria Modolo, the CEO of the ACQ, said he expects about 500 high school students to attend the event.

Alexandra Ricard is the general coordinator at Guard-X, a Montreal-based fire protection company. She and her team were swaying students at her kiosk Thursday by giving demonstrations of how the various fire alarm dispensers work.

Attracting younger clientele is one of the two goals laid out by the Quebec construction association. The first is to quickly fill jobs that are available now.

"As contractors in Montreal, we need a lot of labour. We're in a really important shortage of labour in Montreal," said Jean-Francois Arbour, chair of the board of the ACQ.

So how do these construction companies entice workers? By telling them what they want to hear.

Guillaume Houle, a spokesperson for the ACQ, said that construction workers’ "conditions are great."

He adds "the average rate for a construction worker is 45$/hour, there's a pension plan, and our insurance plan is mostly paid by employers."

To that effect, Saad Merhad, a student at the École secondaire des sources, says that factors like these will encourage him to pursue a career in the sector. "It’s not everyone that earns 40$ an hour," he said.

The association says it’s putting a lot of effort in recruiting since many workers in the construction sector are retiring and contractors are having to turn down jobs due to a lack of employees.

Quebec construction workers set a record last year, working 210 million hours.

But despite that, the Quebec construction association says demand is still high. In December of last year, there were more than 15,000 vacant jobs.

Houle said that construction workers "want to work. We want to grow because the economy needs us."

More than 60 different employers and training centres filled the job fair. Many of which offered interactive training and demonstrations for those interested, including a greater number of women.

Luc Labbé, an instructor at the Montreal School of Construction Trades, says women are in demand in the construction industry and should be encouraged to sign up for professions in the sector.