PRESS RELEASE: Energy retrofits will create thousands of skilled trades jobs, boost N.S. economy: Ecology Action Centre report

Mi’kma’ki / Nova Scotia – A new report from the Ecology Action Centre (EAC) shows that efforts to make buildings more energy efficient will create massive opportunities for N.S.’s skilled workforce. Building Nova Scotia’s Green Workforce: Addressing Labour Gaps for a Net-Zero Future looks at which jobs will be created by efforts to reach greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets, and what can be done to reduce barriers for workers entering the trades. 

“In the wake of a federal election that focused heavily on jobs and strengthening the Canadian economy, this report outlines a path to achieving both,” says Chris Benjamin, senior energy coordinator with the EAC. 

“In Nova Scotia, we need energy efficiency upgrades to commercial buildings and more than 16,500 homes each year to meet our legislated climate targets. For that to happen we need to train thousands more workers, which is a huge opportunity for our skilled trades sector.” 

A 2019 report also showed that transitioning to a net-zero economy – where we either emit no GHGs or offset all emissions – would create 15,000 jobs per year in N.S., offering a significant boost to our economy. 

“Building retrofits are helping to lower pollution and emissions, but we have an aging workforce,” says Benjamin. “Carpentry, HVAC, electrical work and building finishing are going to be in growing demand, providing opportunities for good jobs right here at home." 

According to Building Nova Scotia’s Green Workforce, in five years N.S. could see over 7,000 vacant carpenter positions and over 4,000 vacant electrician positions. At the same time, there will be a significant boost in HVAC sector jobs. 

“To meet this demand, we need to support more gender-diverse and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) workers entering these professions,” says Benjamin. 

BIPOC and gender-diverse people are extremely underrepresented in skilled trades. Benjamin points to barriers like unwelcoming workplace culture and harassment, childcare demands and limited access for education as reasons why this is the case. He adds that in addition to removing these barriers, improvements should be made to training and education programs, which are slow to adapt to industry changes and can have long waitlists. 

“The need for so many skilled workers can either be a crisis or an incredible opportunity,” says Benjamin. “If we act now, we have this amazing chance to support a robust skilled workforce and meet the growing demand for building retrofits while supporting a strong Nova Scotia economy. Government, the trades sector, post-secondary institutions and other energy efficiency experts must work together to address this need.” 

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