This will provide you with a general overview of the BC construction industry.
Areas of the Industry
When we start to breakdown the BC construction industry’s work activity, you’ll hear words such as Industrial, Commercial, Institutional, Residential or Home Building, Road Building, and Civil Engineering. It’s important to know that many trades, professionals and support occupations are working in these areas.
Industrial
Industrial construction work includes large, major resource projects, such as the LNG plants. We anticipate the construction of one to six LNG plants in the next decade.
Industrial work generally involves large engineering companies, who in turn will contract generals and multiple trades.
Commercial
Commercial construction work can include multi-family residential, high-rises, shopping malls, and office buildings.
A current commercial development example is the Tsawwassen Mills mall on the Mainland. It’s a major project with many trades, professionals and support occupations involved.
Institutional
Institutional projects include hospitals and schools. These projects are often dependent on public funding for their construction.
Additions, upgrades and renovations for these buildings are very common in this area.
Residential
Residential projects are also known as Home Building. You’ll primarily see small contractors/developers in charge of hiring a number of trades for these projects.
Many trade contractors who work on Residential also switch over to Commercial.
Industry Expectations
What you should know about employers...
While most construction employers have similar expectations around the world when it comes to the work site, you should be aware that there are specific expectations when it comes to BC construction employers.
In British Columbia, construction employers:
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Expect strong English communication (often necessary on BC work sites)
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Value credentials and qualifications (but not always required)
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Strictly enforce high safety standards (there may be some short-term safety programs to complete)
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Work towards gender inclusivity throughout the industry (currently 4% of the workforce on the tools are female and we're working to increase that number)
What you should know as an employee...
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Wages differ from company to company and region to region (and these wages will be negotiated with an employer)
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Weather conditions will matter to you and your work (some regions experience colder winter months while others experience heavier rainfall - prepare with proper clothing/equipment)
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A construction resume is an important tool for you (learn more creating your construction resume in Job Search Tools)
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The BC construction industry is strong, and often cyclical (one region may be booming while another is slowing down)
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Different kinds of construction work may be more common in certain regions (For example, Northern BC has a lot of anticipated Industrial work with LNG plans)
The industry's future
The value of current construction projects in British Columbia is over $81 billion, and that includes Residential, Institutional, Commercial, Industrial, Road Building, and Civil Engineering activity.
The employers in the industry are general contractors, trade contractors, material suppliers, design professionals, and associated businesses. With over 21,000 registered construction companies in BC, major opportunities continue to develop. These employers are active in every part of the industry and every region of the province. Some have collective agreements while others are open-shop meaning they are not union affiliated.
You should know that employers are both large and small operations. However, most of the BC construction employers have less than 10 employees. This is useful information to a job seeker since most of these employers do not have HR teams for recruitment. This is where the BCCA Integrating Newcomers program works to connect you with potential employers and opportunities. We act as the HR team to connect workers with jobs in the construction industry, both in BC and across the world.
Why do we do this? With 2 out of 3 workers on the tools in BC construction over the age of 45, we’re preparing for many in our workforce to retire. There are not enough youth picking up the tools and picking construction as a career. Because of this, many construction jobs are expected to be unfilled in the future.
Get in touch with us
If you have questions or need more information, please email newcomers@bccassn.com.
If you're looking to apply to the BCCA-IN program, please click below to fill out the Application form.