The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers estimates the nation’s oil-and-gas sector lost 100,000 direct and indirect jobs in 2015. Now, many of the workers with industrial skills who moved to the Alberta oil patch for high-paying energy work are looking for work in other provinces and sectors. But the energy crash has hurt overall construction in some areas, and observers wonder if work-culture differences remain an obstacle.
Some say the trend could help to fill vacant construction jobs in North America as infrastructure, commercial and institutional sectors still drive strong demand for construction workers. In Texas, contractors are expanding their head counts amid oil and gas layoffs, says Associated General Contractors San Antonio chapter President Doug McMurry.