Apprenticeship registrations, completions rebound in 2021
The number of new registrations in apprenticeship programs and certifications in the trades rebounded in 2021 after a difficult 2020, but data from Statistics Canada shows that registration levels remain below pre-pandemic levels.
Apprenticeship registrations jumped more than 31% last year, while trades certifications increased by 33.7%.
Growth in trades registrations and certifications is usually linked to the health of local labour markets, since apprentices seek to maintain suitable employment to fulfill their on-the-job hours and technical training. With the number of job vacancies in the trades, transport, and equipment operators and related occupations nearly doubling since 2019, and unemployment at historically low rates, it makes sense that apprenticeship rates should be also increasing.
While all trades saw some growth in new registrations in 2021, carpenters (+46.3%); heavy duty equipment mechanics (+45.9%); refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics (+42.9%); millwrights (+42.0%); plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters (+39.0%); and electricians (+37.0%) posted the largest year-over-year increases. Certifications in these trades also showed similar trends.
The story was somewhat different for public-facing, service-related trades. Employment rates in many of these trades remained well below pre-pandemic levels. Unemployment remained elevated since many of these occupations continued to be impacted by public health guidelines and business closures.
Construction trades seeing more participation among women
Statistics Canada reports 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%) and certifications in the trades (-24.4%).
Part of the reason for the decline is because of the disproportionate representation of female apprentices in service-based, public-facing trades, such as early childhood educators and assistants, hairstylists and estheticians, and community and social service workers – all of which were heavily impacted by the pandemic and showed slow recovery in 2021.
Women in the trades did, however, make 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%), carpenters (+29.8%), electricians (+27.0%), interior finishing (+25.8%), and refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics (+25.0%).
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.
The transition of women from public-facing, service-based trades into other industries could lead to stronger outcomes for female apprentices because of the higher earnings in many of these occupations.
Quebec reports highest registrations on record
In 2021, growing numbers of new registrations and certifications in the trades were recorded in every province, with many reaching their pre-pandemic levels.
Quebec reported its highest number of new registrations on record (24,169). This represents a significant year-over-year increase (+5,169, or +27.2%) for the province with the most extensive apprenticeship system in Canada. These increases were primarily driven by year-over-year growth in the construction industry, high demand for housing, strong investment growth in residential construction, and employment growth in the trades. Construction-related trades, such as carpenters (+51.3%), electricians (+42.6%), and plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters (+28.7%) accounted for more than half of the increases in new registrations in this province.
Ontario (+4,317, or +32.7%), Alberta (+2,811, or +36.6%), and British Columbia (+2,148, or +20.7%) had the next-highest increases in new registrations. All four provinces also reported similar increases in certifications, with Quebec posting the largest increase—up 5,631 (+41.0%) compared with 2020.
Growth in the construction industry in Ontario (+6.6%) and British Columbia (+3.6%) helped these provinces, at least partly, to post increases in the number of certifications in the trades. Certifications in Ontario (+23.3%) were mostly accounted for by increases in electricians (+34.4%) and automotive services (+23.0%).
In contrast, increases in certifications in British Columbia were largest among plumbers, pipefitters, and steam fitters (+23.4%) and welders (+26.5%).