I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the AMBA 2022 Annual General Meeting scheduled for May 13th at the Redtail Landing Golf Club. We have booked some great speakers related to the industry and Metal Building Trades, so please register as soon as possible. Also, be sure to mark on your calendar the AMBA 2022 Golf Tournament booked for June 16th, at the Ranch Golf and Country Club in Acheson.

I was reading a report on Alberta’s Occupational Outlook for 2019-2028, which forecasted significant labour shortages. Over the next 10 years retirement is expected to grow by 50% and by 2028 retirements are expected to account for the highest share of job openings at around 32% (https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/8987e228-9ffa-4a2e-9f79-a9b869df2ccb/resource/502659ff-47fb-4ce3-94db-6a0c2f1f722c/download/lbr-albertas-occupational-outlook-2019-2028.pdf). Strategic human resources planning has never been more important than it is now! Recruiting and developing employees, as well as transitioning employees into retirement, will better position your company to respond to the increasing labour shortages ahead. All too often, employees delay retirement because there is no transition plan in place, while high performing employees leave the company for better opportunities.

Persistent labour shortages will continue as the economy rebounds. Positive economic growth for 2022, coupled with high oil prices, is a big boost to Alberta’s provincial budget and finally some positive news for our province. This will open the door to more provincially funded projects moving ahead. There is a significant amount of work in the construction industry and it’s nice to see that companies have more options on the work they want to pursue, instead of bidding on everything that comes across their desk. A few years ago, there would be 50-80 companies showing up on pre-tendered bid lists – that has now changed, with only 4-6 respondents.

I hope to see you all at the AGM – please come and see me with any questions, or suggestions on how AMBA can better serve your business or our industry.

Colin Porte