Apprenticeship ranks decline as provincial economy stalls
Money in skilled trades can be attractive, but only when employers need workers
In this province, a man may be able to earn more with an apprentice certificate than a bachelor’s degree. But first he needs a job.
Right now, that’s easier said than done.
The median annual earnings of Saskatchewan men with an apprenticeship certificate in 2015 was $86,059, according to data from the most recent Statistics Canada census. Their counterparts with bachelor’s degrees hauled in $1,234 less.
In Saskatchewan, between 2005 and 2015, “the earnings of men with apprenticeship qualifications grew by 42 per cent,” a StatCan report states — the fastest growth rate among the provinces for any level of education.
Still, enrolment in apprenticeship programs is waning as a result of Saskatchewan’s stunted economy.
In fact, the number of registered apprentices in the province has dipped to a five-year low, according to the latest annual report from Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission (SATCC).
“Because apprenticeship is primarily a work-based education system, you don’t get to be an apprentice unless you have a job,” said Jeff Ritter, CEO of SATCC.
“When the economy is red-hot and people are clamouring for more skilled labour, they take on apprentices.”
When the economy takes a dive, the reverse is true, Ritter said, noting that contrasts with other forms of education, which see increases in enrolment as people seek to become more competitive in a saturated job market.
Education aside, it’s tough to find a job when employers just aren’t hiring. Such is the current state of affairs in Saskatchewan, according to Doug Elliott, publisher of Sask Trends Monitor.
In 2016, employment in the province declined by 0.9 per cent — the first drop since 2001, Elliott said. So far in 2017, employment has fallen a further 0.1 per cent, he said, calling the two-year trend an “employment slump.”
That corresponds with a decrease in the number of employers registering apprentices, down this year by 145 to 2,544.
The recent slump stands in stark contrast to years past.
“A good example would’ve been 2013, during the peak of the boom,” Elliott said, noting employment was growing at 3.1 per cent that year.
A “dreaded combination of factors” are contributing to the so-called slump, he said, including weak resource prices, fiscal restraint from government and weakened consumer confidence.
Ritter said the dip in registered apprentices isn’t out of the ordinary.
“It is very normal that apprenticeship numbers will go up and down as the economy fluctuates,” he said.
“What isn’t normal is that we had such a long period of protracted growth,” he went on, noting that while the number of apprentices is down this year, the province is still training more tradespeople now than it was a decade ago.
In June 2007 there were 6,779 registered apprentices in Saskatchewan. In 2014, numbers peaked at 10,352. As of last June, there were 8,180.