The number of new registrations in apprenticeship programs and certifications in the trades rebounded in 2021, according to Statistics Canada.
While many pandemic restrictions persisted throughout 2021, apprenticeship registrations jumped more than 31 per cent last year, and trades certifications increased by 33.7 per cent but remain below pre-pandemic levels.
In 2021, job vacancies in the trades, transport, and equipment operators and related occupations hit an all-time high, nearly doubling since 2019. At the same time, employment in the trades almost reached pre-pandemic levels, while unemployment rates fell below those observed in 2019.
New registrations in apprenticeship programs and certifications in the trades saw significant increases as businesses and tradespeople faced tight labour market conditions.
While all trades saw some growth in new registrations in 2021, carpenters (+46.3 per cent); heavy duty equipment mechanics (+45.9 per cent); refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics (+42.9 per cent); millwrights (+42.0 per cent); plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters (+39.0 per cent); and electricians (+37.0 per cent) posted the largest year-over-year increases. Certifications in these trades also showed similar trends.
British Columbia certifications were largest among plumbers, pipefitters, and steam fitters (+23.4 per cent) and welders (+26.5 per cent).
Statistics Canada also reported there were 8,688 new registrations and 4,821 certifications by female apprentices in 2021. This represents some recovery from the significant drops in 2020 but remains well below 2019 levels for new registrations in apprenticeship programs (-17.1 per cent) and certifications in the trades (-24.4 per cent).
Women in the trades made significant gains in apprenticeship programs where they have been historically underrepresented. New registrations of female apprentices surpassed pre-pandemic levels in many construction-related trades, such as exterior finishing (+56.5 per cent), carpenters (+29.8 per cent), electricians (+27.0 per cent), interior finishing (+25.8 per cent), and refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics (+25.0 per cent).
While this shift was already underway before the pandemic, the events of recent years may have acted as a catalyst to bolstering these trades, which saw their highest numbers of new registrations for women since the beginning of the series in 1991.
