After working in construction all over Canada, I can see why P.E.I. is short of workers

There has been a lot of talk lately about labour shortages on P.E.I., particularly in construction.

Many reasons have been put forward for this. I'd like to talk about wages.

When the subject of wages comes up, there is a continuing narrative that claims any gains found outside of P.E.I. are lost with the associated increased cost of living. In my experience this isn't true, and I think it holds up an outdated idea that suppresses wages across the province in all industries.

I am speaking from experience of having worked in every mainland province in Canada, as well as the Northwest Territories. I'm a 40-year-old, self-employed carpenter. I've contracted, sub-contracted, employed and been employed, in many fields in the construction industry on both a residential and commercial level.

This idea that low wages are justified because of cheap living seems to have a bit of a death grip here.

By cherry-picking data, the industry and media can project a simplified version that makes Islanders look relatively better off than they really are. This is a troubling trend during a housing crisis where property prices skyrocket and wages remain stagnant.

For example, a recent CBC article included this analysis: "The overall average hourly wage for the construction jobs investigated in Charlottetown was $21.73, 15 per cent below the average of $24.97 in the other seven cities."

While this is true, the choice of sample jobs doesn't reflect how large the disparity can be for skilled labourers.

Labourers and skilled labour are the lifeblood of the construction industry. You don't send in five seasoned carpenters to build a house; it's one or two carpenters and a team of labourers. The worker with Red Seal certification often acts as a manager and is responsible for all the work that is completed on site.

This means that the great majority of the construction workforce is composed of moderately-skilled labourers who earn between $15 and $20 per hour. That wage is similar across the country, but the wages for those Red Seal-qualified workers is considerably lower on P.E.I.

This difference is hidden if you look at wage averages across different experience levels.

There are two issues that affect labour supply that come out of this situation.

First, there is the brain drain effect that has been happening for decades. Once workers establish themselves in the trade and get accredited, they leave for a market where the wages are better.

The second issue is access and upward mobility. The trades were always considered a place where an uneducated person could learn skills on the job and advance into a career that paid a living wage. Now, for most trades, you are looking at a year or two of college and a couple years of on-the-job experience at a labourer wage before you can move through your journeyman and complete the Red Seal.