This year is expected to be a record one for the construction industry in Quebec, fuelled in large part by work on major projects and increased activity in the industrial and residential sectors.
A report released by the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ) notes the civil engineering and roads sector will experience a small short-term slowdown but projects and work in the industrial and residential sectors of the industry will more than make up for the shortfall.
The number of hours worked is expected to reach an all-time high in 2025, with a forecast of 211.5 million hours, a one-per-cent increase over the 210 million hours worked in 2024. The figure was 208.1 million in 2023. The construction industry in Quebec employs about 300,000.
CCQ CEO Audrey Murray says in 2024 the industry provided Québec construction sites with three-per-cent more hours worked than the forecast for the year had anticipated. The work hours forecast for 2024 was 202 million, but the final figure was eight million hours higher.
“If one were to picture it, this volume translates into building the equivalent of 40 La Romaine dams,” Murray explains. “A situation not seen since 1970.”
The commission intends to keep a close eye on developments this coming year. Economic activity is expected to remain robust despite uncertainty in the industrial, institutional and commercial sectors.
Murray says the commission will work with all industry stakeholders to provide a sufficient number of skilled workers on Québec construction sites.
Provincial Labour Minister Jean Boulet said in a statement the Québec construction industry continues to show its resilience and capacity for adaptation.
“The outlook for 2025 confirms sustained demand, thanks especially to Hydro-Québec’s major needs for its projects and the notable rise in hours worked forecast for the residential sector. These dynamics present both challenges and opportunities for our qualified workforce.”
Boulet noted in 2024 the government adopted two key laws to help the industry build more and better.
According to the report, work in the industrial sector in 2024 increased 24 per cent over 2023 due to battery industry projects. The trend is expected to continue in 2025, with a 14-per-cent increase in activity, which will translate into 16.5 million hours worked.
One of the big battery industry projects was a $644-million Ultium CAM (GM) battery components plant in the Mauricie–Bois-Francs region. Work on a plant in Bécancour and a $2-billion lithium processing mine by Nemaska Lithium are also underway.
Other projects under way include the expansion of an ethanol distillery at Greenfield Global, Agnico Eagle’s Odyssey project in Malartic and Nouveau Monde Graphite’s open-pit Matawinie graphite mine.
The residential sector, which has been lagging behind for some time, is expected to finally regain momentum and pull out of its doldrums due to an increase in housing demand and decline in interest rates. A seven-per-cent rise in work hours is expected in the sector in 2025. A total of 48,000 housing starts is anticipated in 2025, on the heels of 45,000 new units in 2024.
After reaching a new high with 41 million hours worked in 2024, the civil engineering and roads sector is expected to see a slight decline due to an anticipated decrease in spending. However, sub-sectors are still expected to grow and next year major projects in progress are expected to continue, including the repair of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine bridge-tunnel, and repair of the Ville-Marie and Viger tunnels.
Investments in the repair of water infrastructure and the road network in Montreal are also expected to keep workers busy.
After three consecutive years marked by record volumes of work, the institutional and commercial sectors are expected to face the first decrease in hours worked in 2024. The CCQ forecasts a decrease of two per cent in 2025, which would still give the sector 116.5 million hours of work. In its analysis, the commission states the decline is due to an anticipated slow in public investments.
Some projects to build or renovate schools or hospitals have been postponed due to budgetary restrictions.
Several major commercial projects will continue to generate hours in 2025, including the Fleur de Lys district in Québec City, mixed-use Transit-Oriented Development in Brossard and Longueuil, and the construction of a high-intensity data processing complex by QScale. Reconstruction of the Montreal Olympic Stadium roof will also stimulate work in the commercial sector.
If there is any downside for the construction industry in Quebec, the report notes the anticipated increase in number of hours worked in 2025 will put more pressure on the already-dire worker situation.
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