May 12, 2008

Construction workers contribute to rise in number of employees with no fixed workplace

VINCE VERSACE

staff writer

The construction industry accounted for one-third of the increase in workers who reported no fixed workplace address between 2001 and 2006, according to Statistics Canada.

An estimated 500,700 workers in construction had no fixed workplace address in 2006, a 24 per cent increase of 123,700 workers from 2001.

The no fixed workplace address findings are in Statistics Canada report Commuting Patterns and Places of Work for Canadians, Census 2006.

“I do not think these results are too surprising,” said Jeff Morrison, director of government relations and public affairs at the Canadian Construction Association (CCA).

“The numbers are a reflection of an industry characteristic we are all aware of.”

There was an overall increase of 370,900 workers who reported no fixed workplace address from 2001 to 2006.

The construction occupation which experienced the largest increase was construction trades helpers and labourers. This occupation saw a 63 per cent increase, the equivalent of 29,770 workers, who reported no fixed workplace address. In 2006 there were a total of 77,175 helpers and labourers.

The number of carpenters with no fixed workplace address increased by 27,880 workers, a 43 per cent jump, from 65,385 workers in 2001 to 93,265 workers in 2006.

The largest number of total workers with no fixed workplace address were truck drivers with an estimated 108,800 workers.

“Another thing to consider is that when these numbers were collected the residential building sector was red-hot,” explained Morrison. “People tend to move a lot on the residential side within a given region.”

The report states that the increase in the number of workers with no fixed workplace address presents a challenge to urban transit planners.

Morrison said he understands how this could be challenging because planners may find it difficult to determine how many workers use a particular road or service to get to work.

In 2006 there were only 147,300 workers who worked in a province or territory other than their home province where they lived. One-third of these workers (53,600) commuted from the Quebec side of the Ottawa-Gatineau area to Ontario. Another 17,000 commuted in the opposite direction in this area.

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