Thermal Insulation Association of Canada

This study identified the following issues and trends that are impacting insulation work in Canada:

Fabrication Off-site Versus On-site

Parts that were previously fabricated on-site by Insulators are now being fabricated off-site by other occupations (e.g. removable flexible covers (pads), preformed elbows, peel and stick). This change is partly due to technology, but cost is also a major driver with off-site fabrication being performed by workers who command a lower wage than Insulator tradespeople. The impact of this shift is reduced hours of Insulator work and a possible erosion of the skill sets of Insulators.

The Insulator workforce is aging with an average age today across the country of between 40 - 45. The situation differs from province to province; in some areas, the average age has declined slightly due to efforts to bring new young people into the trade. Nevertheless, there is still a significant percentage of the Insulator workforce who will be retiring in the next decade.

As well, many parts of the country are experiencing a boom in construction and, as a consequence, in these areas Insulators are fully employed. British Columbia is one notable exception. This boom in construction combined with the peak loads associated with typical shutdown schedules creates short-term shortages. There are varying degrees of concern about these shortages within the industry. Some areas are having difficulty attracting young people while others are not. Finding young people interested in a career in construction is generally becoming increasingly difficult as the pool of young people decreases, and the traditional “image issues” related to the trades remain. The Insulator industry has been, for the most part, relying on informal recruitment methods. This approach is very challenging because the Insulator trade is not well known. Some contractors and Insulators feel the trade does not promote itself adequately and it may be that enticements are required to get new people into the trade.

Entrance Requirements

There may be issues with respect to the minimum entrance requirements in some provinces, resulting in the recruitment of applicants without the necessary basic skills. Basic literacy levels are becoming increasingly important to enable workers to pass the Red Seal exam, to produce required reports and to enable them to keep up to date about developments in the trade. Not everyone feels the minimum entrance requirements are too low. Some feel requiring Grade 12 is too much and not necessary for the trade.

Some people we consulted in the course of this project cited the cyclical nature of Insulator work to be an issue. However, the survey results indicate that many of the Insulators categorize their recent work as steady rather than cyclical and the hours of work according to the Health and Welfare Plan data showed a fairly even monthly distribution in recent years. The incongruence between the quantitative data and the qualitative information may be the result of variances from province to province, and a survey respondent profile that is representative of those who are more fully employed.

The reality of irregular work can make it difficult to attract young people into the trade and can create short-term shortages of skilled labour. Better coordination of projects and shutdowns across the country would help to provide more regular work for each Insulator. Some respondents felt that clients cannot distribute shutdowns more evenly throughout the year as these are based on maintenance or repair requirements. Supports such as Employment Insurance can no longer be relied on during periods of unemployment, which compounds the difficulty and heightens the importance of finding ways to increase the utilization rate within the Insulator trade.

Mobility is promoted within the trade. The Insulator unions across Canada have good mobility mechanisms (travel card systems) in place. However, some Insulators may be reluctant to work outside the home province due to the cost and stress on the family. Employment Insurance penalizes workers if they quit and return home due to the stress factor or if they choose to return home once work is available. There is reimbursement from the industry in some situations to assist with the costs incurred when living away from home, but in the commercial segment there is little room for expense conditions in the contract.

Apprenticeship programs differ across Canada, and, not surprisingly, so do the issues related to apprenticeship. There is a lack of consistency across Canada with some provinces having apprenticeship programs, others having unrecognized programs and some having no apprenticeship at all. In some provinces, the numbers of potential new entrants is too small to make it feasible to have an apprenticeship program. This inconsistency in apprenticeship training is no doubt contributing to the lack of consistency of skills available across the country.

In some provinces apprentices are required to pay tuition fees (e.g. Alberta $400, New Brunswick $200, Quebec $100). Some new entrants are reluctant to pay the fees. Because the Insulator trade is not compulsory, some young people choose not to take the apprenticeship training for cost or other reasons. Incentives may be needed to encourage people to take apprenticeship training.

Some contractors commented that Insulator apprentices learn the trade on the job and refine their skills in school. Their feeling is that this pattern should be reversed. Apprenticeship training needs to focus on the skills and knowledge that are relevant to the workplace – the basics of the entire trade. Many contractors felt Insulation should be a compulsory certified trade

Re-training of Insulators is difficult due to small numbers of potential trainees in some areas. Training cannot be provided in all locations so the workers have to travel to take advantage of training opportunities. Some areas such as Ontario have a room and board fund to support workers who have to come to Toronto for training.

Many industry representatives feel there is a need to increase the availability of training programs for journeypersons, particularly those who were “grandfathered”. Most training is currently provided on the job.

However there appears to be some worker resistance to upgrading their skills. Not all workers see the value in upgrading their skills when they are currently able to find work. On the other hand, when there is no work, personal resources for training are limited.

Health and Safety

The Insulator trade places significant emphasis on health and safety. At the same time, there are tensions between quality control initiatives and the potential effect on the cost of projects and opportunities for work. In the Atlantic Provinces there are still some issues related to the safe removal of asbestos particularly on non-union jobs. There is the perception of a double standard with respect to requirements to adhere to safety provisions between union and nonunion jobs. These concerns are compounded by the perceived lack of government enforcement, particularly in relation to asbestos.

Insulators are faced with competition from other trades and the underground economy. The underground economy continues to have an impact on the Insulator trade, although government legislative changes have begun to level the playing field by making the underground economy less attractive.

Operating in a competitive environment is further complicated for the Insulator trade by virtue of the fact that it is often the last one on site for major projects and is frequently called upon to make up for time and cost overruns. In essence, Insulators are asked to put greater emphasis on quantity over quality of workmanship and in some cases to use cheaper, lower quality materials.

New Technologies

New technologies are being introduced in various aspects of construction work and many trades cite technology as a major trend impacting on them. However, in the case of the Insulators, major technological changes have already occurred and most people we consulted with felt that the impacts had already worked their way through the industry. For example, new materials and techniques have been introduced that are safer. In some cases these new materials have reduced the requirements for Insulator labour and/or have made the work easier. Prefabrication off-site is another example of a technological change that has reduced labour requirements on-site. Shutdowns are now better organized and take less time. Most industry representatives do not see major new technology innovations on the horizon for the Insulator trade.