The news isn’t good for enrolment in Canada’s apprenticeship programs.

Data released by Statistics Canada on December 9 shows that new registrations in apprenticeship programs across the country dropped by nearly 3 percent in 2019 and certifications in the trades dropped by nearly 4 percent.

What’s more, early indications are that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused enrolment to drop even further in 2020. Preliminary data for the first nine months of the year suggests that new registrations dropped a staggering 43 percent over the same period in 2019, while certifications dropped nearly 49 percent.

Provincial and federal lockdowns caused new registrations to drop more than 70 percent through April 2020, while certifications reached their lowest level in June when they dropped more than 76 percent. Both have since shown a willingness to come back, but through September, remained well below 2019 levels.

New registrations in the trades are inextricably linked to the health of local labour markets as apprentices seek to maintain suitable employment for fulfilling their on-the-job hours and technical training. Not surprisingly, employment in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations fell by more than one-quarter (-26.3 percent) in April 2020 compared to the first four months of 2019.

Double-digit employment losses for these occupations persisted through July (-12.0 percent), while August (-8.6 percent), September (-5.9 percent), and October (-2.6 percent) also remained well below 2019 levels.

2019 statistics affected by contraction in Alberta

Apprenticeship enrolment and completion rates in 2019 dropped by more than 77,500 across the country.

Nearly three-quarters of that decline occurred in Alberta, where the number of new registrations in apprenticeships fell by almost one-quarter (-2,832) to 11,607 in 2019—its lowest level in a decade. New registrations in Alberta decreased in 20 of the 21 major trade groups, led by electricians (-450), plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters (-358) and interior finishing (-252).

Employment in Alberta was down sharply in industries where apprenticeships are most concentrated, such as construction (-4.0 percent) and mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction (-4.0 percent).

Meanwhile, the construction industry in Quebec (+5.7 percent) and Ontario (+2.0 percent) experienced strong employment growth in 2019. This helped new registrations in apprenticeship programs to reach a 10-year high in Quebec (23,568) and a 5-year high in Ontario (20,991).

In Quebec, strong growth in housing construction and public investment in infrastructure projects in recent years has led to more opportunities for apprentices to start programs as carpenters (+786), interior finishing (+363) and heavy equipment and crane operators (+300).

Similarly, investments in infrastructure projects in Ontario in recent years has coincided with increases in new registrations for electricians (+321), plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters (+240) and refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics (+231).

Fewer certificates granted in 2019

Despite employment and economic growth in recent years, the annual number of newly certified tradespeople declined 3.9 percent to 52,367 in 2019, following a 6.6 percent gain in 2018.

Over half of the overall decline occurred in Alberta, where the number of certifications fell by 1,266 to a decade low of 7,665. In contrast, Quebec (+422) and British Columbia (+232) reported the largest gains in the number of certificates granted.

In Quebec, sustained employment growth in the construction and manufacturing industries likely presented favourable on-the-job opportunities for apprentices looking to complete their program requirements. Similarly, continued growth in construction projects in British Columbia paralleled more certificates granted in most major trade groups, led by electricians (+117) and plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters (+75).

More women enrolling in male-dominated trades

Although women have increased their representation in the labour force over the last several decades, and made up 48.0 percent of the labour force in 2019, they continue to be underrepresented in most apprenticeship programs. In 2019, women accounted for 13.5 percent of new registrations and 12.2 percent of certificates granted.

When women did enter into new apprenticeship programs in 2019, over half (51.5 percent) continued to choose trades where women are already well represented such as hairstylists, cooks, bakers and early childhood educators and assistants.

Despite this, women continue to make inroads into non-traditional trades. Most notably, over one-third (35.6 percent) of women entering into an apprenticeship program in 2019, did so in a male-dominated trade. This rate has more than doubled in the last decade. The major trade groups commonly associated with the construction industry reported the largest gains and were led by interior finishing (+268), carpenters (+263) and electricians (+214). This has helped to increase the representation of women among new entries into male-dominated trades from 3.7 percent in 2009 to 5.9 percent in 2019.