{"id":5493,"date":"2019-02-26T09:30:08","date_gmt":"2019-02-26T17:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/?p=5493"},"modified":"2024-04-30T07:10:31","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T14:10:31","slug":"construction-2019-businesses-digitization-diversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/construction-2019-businesses-digitization-diversity\/","title":{"rendered":"Construction 2019: Businesses are in need of digitization and diversity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the last month of 2018, Canada\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ontario.ca\/page\/labour-market-report-december-2018\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">unemployment rate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was recorded at 5.8%. This is the lowest it\u2019s been since 1976. More than 90,000 new jobs were created in December alone. And in the construction sector, no topic was more heavily discussed and debated than the tariffs and trade negotiations. <\/span><\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_50 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\" role=\"button\"><label for=\"item-69f1ada24405c\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><input  type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-69f1ada24405c\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/construction-2019-businesses-digitization-diversity\/#Most_business_owners_are_concerned_and_cautious\" title=\"Most business owners are concerned and cautious \">Most business owners are concerned and cautious <\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/construction-2019-businesses-digitization-diversity\/#The_need_to_digitize_is_greater_than_ever\" title=\"The need to digitize is greater than ever\">The need to digitize is greater than ever<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/construction-2019-businesses-digitization-diversity\/#A_national_and_provincial_shortage_of_skilled_labour\" title=\"A national and provincial shortage of skilled labour\">A national and provincial shortage of skilled labour<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/construction-2019-businesses-digitization-diversity\/#About_the_Author\" title=\"About the Author\">About the Author<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TSheets surveyed 500 respondents in the construction industry across 111 cities in Canada to find out <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tsheets.com\/ca-en\/tariffs-versus-technology?utm_source=bcjobs&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=constructionlevies\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how businesses plan to cope with the levies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, if and how hiring will be affected, and how the diversifying and digitizing the workforce can make a difference.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Most_business_owners_are_concerned_and_cautious\"><\/span><b>Most business owners are concerned and cautious <\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the TSheets survey, 42% of respondents expressed concern about the tariffs, while 51% expect a negative impact on Canada\u2019s overall economic growth. When it comes to career outlook, 45% of those in hiring and managerial positions said the tariffs may reduce the number of construction jobs available in 2019. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unable to gauge the full impact just yet, the same group also states how promotions and pay raises will be put on hold for the time being. However, 1 in 3 businesses says operations have not been impacted by the tariffs at the time of the survey, with more than 18% going ahead with recruitment as planned. 22% foresee hiring more seasonal workers to offset staffing costs. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Responses extracted from those in British Columbia almost mirror the collective national data:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">31% say the tariffs have not impacted hiring.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">20% plan to hire additional workers corroborates with the national data. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">26% say jobs are secure, but promotions and\/or pay raises will be put on hold.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_need_to_digitize_is_greater_than_ever\"><\/span><b>The need to digitize is greater than ever<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Business owners also shared possible workarounds to combat the tariffs, including utilizing cheaper materials, loading employees with more responsibilities, and trying to complete projects quicker. Yet TSheets discovered the majority of businesses are still plagued with fundamental pain points. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">27% of those in supervisory or ownership roles say they struggle to keep accurate labour and material records, with the root of the problem becoming clear: 85% of employees are still tracking time manually, whether it\u2019s using pen and paper, a physical timesheet, spreadsheet or even having a manager to do it for them. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At a time when policies and politics are uncertain, construction businesses would be remiss not to leverage solutions readily available to them, not just regarding heavy machinery or equipment but also investing in day-to-day operations with the help of technology. Businesses have reported they\u2019re able to save up to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tsheets.com\/ca-en\/case-study-skanes-general-contracting?utm_source=bcjobs&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=constructionlevies\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">five hours per week in time and work<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> just by digitizing their time tracking method. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_national_and_provincial_shortage_of_skilled_labour\"><\/span><b>A national and provincial shortage of skilled labour<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is also imperative to recognize and address the challenges in Canada\u2019s construction industry before tariffs ever came into the equation. The low unemployment rate means the competition for top talent is fierce. But the construction industry also faces an imminent wave of retirements without replacements. In British Columbia specifically, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.constructionforecasts.ca\/sites\/forecast\/files\/highlights\/2018\/2018_BC_Constr_Maint_Looking_Forward.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BuildForce Canada<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> predicts more than 40,000 workers will retire by 2027, but only 32,000 new entrants are expected. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is also a vast gender imbalance when it comes to labour, where women\u2019s participation in construction is the lowest compared to any other industry. But change is coming. There are increasingly more provincial apprenticeships and training programs exclusively for women to join the trade industry. Here are some to consider in British Columbia:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcit.ca\/study\/programs\/1190acert\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trades Discovery for Women Program<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conducted by the British Columbia Institute of Technology, this program helps women gain hands-on experience in about 20 different trades.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.itabc.ca\/women-trades\/overview\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Women in Trades Training (WITT) <\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Offered by the Industry Training Authority (ITA), the program provides training, financial assistance, and support for women in British Columbia.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diversity in the Workplace Trades \u2014 Training Leading to Apprenticeship<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In December 2018, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uapicbc.ca\/programs\/govt-training\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UA Piping Industry College of British Columbia<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was announced as the recipient of a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newswire.ca\/news-releases\/government-of-canada-announces-funding-to-help-apprentices-in-british-columbia-complete-their-skilled-trades-training-702182401.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$760,000 investment<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from the Government of Canada to support key groups such as women, indigenous people, newcomers, and people with disabilities to work in the skilled trades.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"About_the_Author\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">About the Author<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prior to joining the copywriting team at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tsheets.com?utm_medium=guest-post&amp;utm_source=bc-jobs\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TSheets by QuickBooks<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Dottie Chong spent 15 years in marketing communications and content management focused on driving engagement and brand affinity. When no one is watching, she indulges in K-pop, knitting, and karaoke, all at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the last month of 2018, Canada\u2019s unemployment rate was recorded at 5.8%. This is the lowest it\u2019s been since 1976. More than 90,000 new jobs were created in December alone. And in the construction sector, no topic was more heavily discussed and debated than the tariffs and trade negotiations. TSheets surveyed 500 respondents in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5495,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,149],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5493"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5493"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9575,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5493\/revisions\/9575"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}