B.C. jobs in high demand: Why 2026 may be the best time to learn a trade

January 29, 2026

Amid a push for nation-building projects and uncertainty around AI’s impact on the job market, an advocate for British Columbia’s construction industry says there’s no better time to consider a career in the trades.

The rise of artificial intelligence has raised the possibility of declining job prospects in some sectors — particularly for younger workers — but Abigail Fulton, executive director of the Construction Foundation of B.C., says “skilled tradespeople will be the last ones voted off the island.”

“We will always need them … that ability to use your hands and co-ordinate and solve problems in real time isn’t going to go away,” said Fulton, who is also a board member with Skills Canada B.C.

There are questions about whether there are enough skilled trades workers to meet demand. Fulton says there have been shortages in almost every trade.

“There’s definitely a need to look at the skilled trades as a system, to support it as a long-term, critical component of our country,” she said.

In November, the province announced an investment of $241 million over the next three years to expand trades training in an effort to boost the availability of skilled labour that will be necessary for several major proposed projects.

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