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Construction in BC Expected to Continue Boom for 2018 as Shortage in Skilled Labour Increases

A new survey by the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association of B.C. finds that 86% of contractors in BC are either expecting the requests for work to increase, or to remain the same for 2018. These numbers have been progressively increasing each year since 2014, with 2018 having the highest percentage. Considering the boom in BC housing, this is understandable. The trend does not seem to be stopping as BC continues to grow at a dramatic pace.

However, the report also finds that skilled workers are becoming harder and harder to find. In conjunction with low unemployment rates, BC is facing a large shortage in trades workers. According to the report, 75% of employers are saying there are not enough qualified workers in the trades they require. This is up from 59% in 2017.

Specifically, pipefitters, concrete finishers, truck drivers, and labourers shortages have worsened the most in the past year. Across the BC region, carpenters and labourers are highest in demand.

It’s becoming a tricky situation for employers, as the supply is not quite meeting the demand for work. Employers will have to become more strategic with their staffing solutions as competition amongst employers for top talent will increase further. One strategy that many organizations are finding to be successful is by diversifying and mixing internal hiring with some outsourcing help from temporary employment agencies. Having access to a flexible pool of workers seeking temporary work can help organizations with their workforce needs during this complex time.

Contact Trades Labour Corporation today for access to our wide range of temporary workers to help you out with your business.

Unemployment Rates in Canada and BC – How Should Employers Prepare?

Unemployment rates in Canada and BC have been on a downtrend ever since 2009. As
of January 2018, the unemployment rate for Canada was 5.9%, one of the lowest it has
been in years. Compare this to January 2009, with an unemployment rate of 8.3%. In
British Columbia, the unemployment rate for January 2018 is even lower – 4.8%.
So what are the impacts of this? What should employers expect as this downtrend
continues?

Recruiting will become more difficult due to the reduction of qualified applicants.

With less people applying, finding that next person will take longer than it did previously. Recruiters will have to explore different options to discover their applicants such as job boards and employment agencies, and they may have to reduce their qualification demands for their next role.

Employee retention will require more efforts and attention from employers.

Employees leaving an organization will hurt even more than it did before. The positions will be harder and harder to fill, especially for higher-level positions. Organizations must focus more on ensuring that their employees are satisfied and fulfilled in their roles. Retention efforts as a result will require more attention.

The cost of hiring will need to be reduced.

Because there will be less qualified applicants available, more recruitment efforts may need to be made in order to fill that next position. This will result in more money spent on advertising or job agencies, time spent on pre-screening and interviewing, and so forth. Organizations will have to be efficient and effective with their recruitment in order to keep these costs down.

More employers will seek out the help of temp agencies to cut down on recruitment time and costs.

With the expertise and infrastructure of a temporary job agency, organizations will see that their best option may be to get the help of this third party for their recruitment needs. Not only will it reduce their costs, it will also free up their own time so that they can focus on other tasks.

Contact Trades Labour Corporation today to recruit the best Temporary Workers for your business today!
References

5 Ways to Improve Retention in 2018

Are you struggling with employee retention? Are you losing top talent to your competitors? Here is a list of 5 things you can do as an employer to improve employee retention in your organization:

1. Flexible scheduling

We all have many demands for our time. However, for some individuals, their time demands may force them to leave their jobs. No organization wants to lose a great employee simply due to the work schedule. If feasible, allowing employees to work part time, casual, or rotational shifts will open up opportunities for those employees to continue with your organization. It also helps boost their company loyalty, as they know their employer is willing to accommodate to their schedule.

2. Regular performance reviews

Performance reviews are an excellent way to ensure you have regular communication with your staff. Performance reviews should be seen as opportunities for creative dialogue and two-way discussion. It may not seem like a big deal to forget a performance review once in a while, but the impacts are larger than you may think. Employees may feel ignored if the review does not happen in a timely manner, and may feel that their employer does not care about their efforts.

3. Creating total rewards packages that employees want

When people think of compensation and total rewards, the immediate thought is dollar amounts. This doesn’t always have to be the case. Many organizations have discovered that viewing compensation from a “total rewards” perspective is actually a way to differentiate their organization from the competitors. To clarify, total rewards means anything an employee may receive from being employed at an organization.
And of course, different demographics will prefer different rewards. Perhaps those organizations with a younger workforce will find that their employees would like discounts on entertainment, free bus passes, and payments in the form of cryptocurrency. Middle-aged demographics may want better benefits and retirement savings options.
The best method is to learn what your employees want, and choose a total rewards package that most suits them.

4. The ability to work from home

Working remotely is becoming more and more dominant in our work force. As technology improves, the opportunities for remote work will become greater and greater. Don’t miss out on these opportunities as many great job seekers may only be available for remote work!

5. Speak to them

This is the most important tip of them all. Simply opening the lines of communication with employees is the best way to find out how they are doing and what their thoughts are. Being open and non-judgemental is one of the best ways to receive honest and real feedback. That feedback can then be used to ensure that employees are satisfied and fulfilled, ensuring that they will want to stay with your organization.
 
 Trades Labour Corporation can help you find the best qualified staff for your positions so that they can get the job done.