July 2025 Labour Pulse: Skilled Trades & Construction | British Columbia + Canada
“Right now, a shortage of jobs, not workers is the headline,” economist Jim Stanford warns, and July’s Labour Pulse puts that shift under the microscope. We break down how B.C added another 5 000 jobs yet still saw construction vacancies fall to ≈3 %, why the provincial unemployment rate slid to 5.6 % while wages held a lofty $37.62/hr, and what fast-track legislation means for the 18 “priority” builds now lining up. From Vancouver Island’s tight 5.4 % jobless rate to the Northeast’s surplus crews, this one-minute brief shows where the talent really is.
Labour-Market Snapshot
Service surge: accommodation + 8 000; retail + 2 800, offsetting small goods-sector dips. BC Gov News
Why this month’s numbers matter
B.C. booked 5,000 net new jobs in June, pushing 2025’s all-time gains past 50 k—best in the country. More importantly, the unemployment rate dropped to 5.6 % (from 6.4 %) and the average wage held at $37.62/hr, second-highest nationwide. That means clients are still competing in a high-wage province, but the talent pool just got a little deeper. BC Gov News
Nationally, Canada added 83 k jobs and nudged the jobless rate down to 6.9 %, ending a three-month climb. The rebound helped calm talk of a broad slowdown, yet the gap between B.C. and Canada (1.3 pts) underlines how tight the West Coast market remains. Statistics Canada
Construction & Skilled-Trades Pulse
Head-count still rising: Over the past 12 months B.C. construction employment jumped 10 % (+25 k workers)—second only to Alberta. link2build.ca
Supply catching up: Across Canada the construction labour force grew 3.5 % while employment rose 2.6 %; that small surplus pushed sector unemployment back to a normal 6.5 %. link2build.ca
Shortage narrative fading: Economist Jim Stanford notes vacancies have been cut in half—from > 7 % in 2022 to about 3 %—and construction unemployment is now higher than the all-industry average. In his words, “right now a shortage of jobs is a bigger problem than a shortage of workers.” Centre for Future Work
What it means: Wage pressure has eased, but the best tradespeople are picking their spots. Smart employers lock talent in with steady hours, predictable OT, and apprentice progression plans, exactly Blue Anvil’s model.
Regional Reality Check
Building & Permit Indicators
Permits: -12 % YoY across all asset classes—evidence that high rates still bite.
Starts: +19 % YoY, driven by multi-family apartments—a policy-fuelled sprint to add doors. link2build.ca
The combo signals owners are approving fewer projects but starting the ones that clear faster, favouring large-scale, labour-intensive builds.
Policy & Bargaining Tailwinds
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Quicker shovels-in-ground means compressed labour timelines. BC Gov News
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Automatic recognition of provincial trade tickets + two-year cap on federal reviews = easier to redeploy carpenters coast-to-coast.Canada.ca
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Reduces strike-risk volatility on federally regulated builds (ports, telecom, rail). Canada.ca
Project Highlights to Watch
Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (Delta): Port authority launches RFQ July 2025; 18 k construction job-years expected from 2027. Delta Optimist
Anahim Lake 3.8 MW Solar Farm: Ground broken June 11; Canada’s largest off-grid solar project, First-Nation-led. Signals growing call-ups for renewable-savvy carpenters. CFJC Today Kamloops
Blue Anvil Playbook July Edition
Recruit while the window’s open. With vacancies down to ~3 %, quality candidates are available—for now.
Think regional. Tap surplus labour in the Northeast to back-fill Island jobs under Bill C-5 mobility rules.
Align with fast-track projects. The Infrastructure Projects Act can shave months off schedules; have credentialed crews ready before permit approvals land.
Stay strike-proof. The new replacement-worker ban ups the value of stable, long-term placements—Blue Anvil’s specialty.
Bottom line: Momentum softened, not stalled. Use this breather to lock in talent, sharpen schedules, and get ahead of the next demand spike. Blue Anvil’s bench of Red-Seal-bound carpenters keeps your sites humming—rain or shine.
See you in August’s Pulse.
