The good news is that Canada is growing, reaching the milestone of 40 million population this month. It is also building to accommodate this G7-leading growth, with building in the Greater Toronto Area never being more active, answering a recent poll which showed 92% of Canadians agree there is an urgent need to build more or update current infrastructure.

That sentiment is mirrored in the recently released survey of the Canadian construction industry conducted by Procore Technologies Inc., a leading global provider of construction management software, which showed that nine out of 10 respondents who work in the industry feel confident about market conditions in the coming year, with 44% being very confident.

The benchmark report, How We Build Now: Technology and industry trends shaping Canadian construction in 2023 features results from the 502 respondents to the survey, made up of owners, contractors and subcontractors, with 36% respondents being from Ontario companies.

Procore Technologies Inc survey suggests that industry members expect growth, image courtesy of Procore Technologies Ince

Procore’s first edition of this survey was in 2020 to take a pulse check on the industry and how it was adapting to certain new realities which were emerging, says Harshil Gupta, product marketing manager at Procore Technologies.

“Construction is going through a period of transformation, and it’s useful to look at multiple areas at once as digital transformation, sustainability, labour shortages and supply chain issues are all interconnected,” says Gupta. “This survey can be a great signal to those who work in the industry to see not only how they are doing compared to peers, but to also equip them to plan for the future.”

Survey results also revealed the value that data brings to the industry overall. About four in 10 said they would be able to make better decisions if they had improved access to real-time information about projects, as well as historical project information.

“What the survey makes clear is that there is a need for the Canadian construction industry to invest in technology,” says Gupta. “About a third of respondents said they need new technologies to achieve greater efficiencies. Economic vitality is putting a lot of pressure on the industry to do more with limited resources, in terms of people and materials.”

Procore Technologies Inc. creates construction management software with a focus on providing timely and accurate data for everyone in the industry, connecting the entire project team, from the office to the field and across companies, providing one place to work together.

With the pace of construction bubbling along quite nicely, and confidence amongst industry leaders extraordinarily high, the industry still is facing significant challenges as the survey results point out, with labour shortages near the top of the list.

“Labour shortages in construction have meant that the industry is challenged to take on all the work in the pipeline,” says Gupta. “About a third of the respondents said they haven’t been able to take on more projects in the last six months for lack of workers. Ultimately the solution to the labour shortage will be recruiting, training and retaining more workers.”

Gupta points out that given the pace of construction, skilled trades training would mean almost a guaranteed job for the younger generation, which the industry must do a better job of attracting.

“Other industries can appear more attractive to young people,” he observes. “We need to communicate that a career in construction pays well and provides opportunities to advance. Young people might wonder why some companies continue to use paper and manual processes – so showing them that construction is digitizing is another way to attract that generation.”

Report finds suggests construction industry needs to improve attracting and retaining workers, image by UT Forum contributor mburrrrr

The industry also has to be more adaptive to attract more women to see themselves in the industry, particularly in leadership positions, showing they belong and there’s a path for advancement. At general contractors and owners in the 2023 survey, only 25% of executives are women, and at subcontractors, it is just 22%.

“We don’t just need to attract women to construction, we need to retain them,” says Gupta. “That can mean things like accommodations for parental leave and flexible hours to help people handle family obligations. Some companies have crews starting at 9AM or 10AM. It can be hard to get a crew to start at 6:30AM when daycares aren’t open that early.”

Construction has also lagged in improving diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The survey showed 38% of respondents said they need to improve diversity to attract women, minorities and other groups underrepresented in the industry. “It just makes sense to make the industry more inclusive of more people,” says Gupta. “We believe that when employees feel included and believe their company is committed to their advancement, it can improve retention and business results.”

Gupta points out supply chain issues aren’t going away anytime soon, with half the contractors surveyed saying they are purchasing materials in advance, while strengthening ties with local suppliers is another way to address the problem.

The industry is focused on and committed to sustainability, particularly the need for work to be done correctly the first time as ‘rework’ is the enemy of sustainability, and 27% of time spent on a project is spent on rework. Updated drawings reaching the field immediately can ensure work is not being done based on outdated plans, and digital drawings can now be sent directly to job-sites in real-time.

“Construction needs to recycle more building materials, increase the use of sustainable energy systems and invest in technologies like prefabrication,” observes Gupta. “About half of subcontractors and general contractors we spoke to said they’re starting to focus on things like prefabrication to reduce the carbon footprint of their projects.”

Taking the pulse of the construction industry is another way Procore is leading in bringing new thinking, information and innovation to the industry as a global provider of technology, allowing the industry to hold up a mirror addressing challenges and making improvements where needed. “We’re seeing changes in construction across Canada, driven by new technologies and talented people,” says Gupta. “At Procore, we want to help the industry deliver the best projects as it continues its transformation.”

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UrbanToronto has a research service, UrbanToronto Pro, that provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Toronto Area—from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.