April 2, 2025 – Ottawa, Ontario
Construction activity in Manitoba saw a slight gain in 2024, as growth in the province’s non-residential sector outweighed a slight contraction in the residential sector.
The former has been underpinned in recent years by a significant number of projects in the utilities sector as well as on several major roads, highways, and bridges projects, and work in the healthcare, education, and commercial sectors. Meanwhile, investment in the residential sector contracted for the third year in a row as interest rate pressures dampened demand for new housing.
BuildForce Canada released its 2025–2034 Construction and Maintenance Looking Forward report for Manitoba today. The outlook calls for investment activity to increase notably in both sectors across the forecast period.
In the residential sector, declining interest rates are expected to help drive investment in new housing to an elevated level by 2028; thereafter, growth in residential renovations drives investment. Meanwhile activity in the non-residential sector is projected to be driven by utilities projects and works on roads, highways, and bridges, as well as growth across all types of industrial, commercial, and institutional buildings.
Employment is expected to rise across the forecast period as a result. By 2034, employment in the residential sector increases by 9% above 2024 levels, while non-residential construction employment ends the decade nearly 26% above 2024 levels.
It is important to note that the investment trends and employment projections presented in this scenario were developed with industry input prior to the emergence of potential trade tensions between Canada and the United States. This forecast therefore does not take into account the possible application of tariffs on Canadian exports to and imports from the United States, nor does it account for any resulting changes in trading patterns between Canada and its other key trading partners.
“BuildForce Canada is tracking a long list of non-residential projects in Manitoba that will elevate investment levels to 2034,” says Bill Ferreira, Executive Director of BuildForce Canada. “The challenge for the industry will be keeping pace with the employment demands this activity creates. Many trades and occupations experienced tight labour-supply conditions coming into the forecast period. The expected retirement of nearly 1,000 workers annually over the decade could complicate these pressures.”
Based on currently known demands, Manitoba’s construction industry may need to hire as many as 19,400 individuals over the forecast period. This is to keep pace with rising demands and the replacement of as many as 9,800 workers, or 21% of the current labour force, that are expected to retire by 2034.
Unlike most other provinces, Manitoba enjoys a population base that is younger than the national average, which should benefit the construction sector in its efforts to recruit new entrant workers under the age of 30 over the forecast period. As many as 11,500 workers from this group are expected to enter the industry by 2034, leaving a gap of about 7,900 workers that will need to be recruited from outside the local construction labour force.
“Closing any potential hiring gap will require new approaches to worker recruitment and retention,” says Ferreira. “One of the keys to success will be in ensuring the industry continues to develop programs that promote careers in construction to youth; another will be in advancing efforts to continue to offer comfortable and welcoming environments for all workers.”
New registrations in Manitoba’s 17 largest construction-apprenticeship programs rose by 18% in 2023 to reach a record high. Growth was primarily driven by increases in the refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic, carpenter, and plumber trades. Although apprenticeship completions remain below the average over the past 10 years, the recent recovery in new registrations may alter this trend in the near future.
“Bolstering apprenticeship numbers is an important tool to rebuilding a robust and healthy construction labour force; diversification is another,” says Ferreira. “Women, Indigenous People, and newcomers to Canada are traditionally under-represented in the construction industry. By targeting efforts to recruit more people from these groups, construction can create a strong and dynamic workforce, and one that is reflective of Canada’s diversity.”
In 2024, there were 5,960 women employed in Manitoba’s construction industry. Of them, 49% worked on site, directly on construction projects. As a share of the 45,200 tradespeople employed in Manitoba’s construction industry, women made up 7% of the onsite workforce in 2024, which is higher than the national average.
The Indigenous population is the fastest growing population in Canada and therefore presents recruitment opportunities. In 2023, Indigenous People accounted for 17.7% of Manitoba’s construction workforce, which is not only the highest share of Indigenous People among all provinces, but also the highest share in the province’s history. As the Indigenous population continues to grow, the sector must continue to work with Indigenous communities to promote career opportunities to their youth and invest in initiatives that foster long-term retention and a welcoming workplace environment where they can build fulfilling careers.
The construction industry is also committed to the recruitment of newcomers to Canada. Based on historical settlement patterns and adjusted federal immigration targets, Manitoba is expected to welcome 231,300 new immigrants between 2025 and 2034, making these individuals, if successfully recruited, a key and growing part of the industry’s future labour force.
Increasing the participation rate of women, Indigenous People, and new Canadians could help Manitoba’s construction industry address its future labour force needs.
About BuildForce Canada
BuildForce Canada is a national industry-led organization that represents all sectors of Canada’s construction industry. Its mandate is to support the labour market development needs of the construction and maintenance industry. As part of these activities, BuildForce works with key industry stakeholders, including contractors, proponents of construction, labour providers, governments, and training providers to identify both demand and supply trends that will impact labour force capacity in the sector, and supports the career searches of job seekers wanting to work in the industry. BuildForce also leads programs and initiatives that support workforce upskilling, workforce productivity improvements, improvements to training modalities, human resource tools to support the adoption of industry best practices, as well as other value-added initiatives focused on supporting the industry’s labour force development needs. Visit www.buildforce.ca.
Contact
For further information, contact Bill Ferreira, Executive Director, BuildForce Canada, at ferreira@buildforce.ca or 613-569-5552 ext. 2220.
This report was produced with the support and input of a variety of provincial construction and maintenance industry stakeholders. For local industry reaction to this latest BuildForce Canada report, please contact:
Ramona Coey
Executive Director
Mechanical Contractors Association of Manitoba
204-774-2404
Paul de Jong
President
Progressive Contractors Association of Canada (PCA)
403-620-3781
Darryl Harrison
Director, Stakeholder Engagement
Winnipeg Construction Association
204-775-8664 ext. 2249
Tanya Palson
Executive Director
Manitoba Building Trades
204-956-7425