New Brunswick·New
New Brunswick’s population decline is making the shortage of skilled trades workers even worse, and the construction industry wants government to focus on immigration and local youth to ease the crunch.
Construction industry says population decline combined with aging workforce is widening the labour gap

Hannah Vogan · CBC News
· Posted: Jul 14, 2026 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 26 minutes ago
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A declining and aging population is pushing the construction industry further into a labour crisis at a time when the demand for new housing and other projects is high, the industry says. (Submitted by New Brunswick Community College)
For the first time in 20 years, New Brunswick’s population has declined for nine straight months, stepping up the pressure on industry and the workforce, especially skilled trades.
David Campbell, an economic development consultant based in Moncton, said he has been warning about population decline for 15 years.
“Population decline is the biggest risk for this province — for the prosperity of its people, for the strength of its economy, for the future of our province,” he said.
The province is down 886 people from the beginning of the calendar year,
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