Why is Launch League surveying Ontario skilled trades employers?

Ontario is encouraging more people into the skilled trades, and we want to know what employers themselves say about taking on and training apprentices: whether they have the work, the supervision and the resources. We are not assuming there are too many graduates or that employers are unwilling to train. We are asking, and we will publish what we learn in aggregate.

Who should complete the survey?

Anyone who hires, supervises or employs skilled trades workers in Ontario: contractors, industrial and manufacturing employers, and agricultural or equipment service businesses. The owner, a manager or whoever handles hiring is the right person. One response per business is ideal.

What prevents employers from hiring first-year apprentices?

That is what the survey measures, so we are not claiming an answer yet. Possible reasons include not enough work, wage costs, the time to supervise, a lack of mentors, regulatory requirements, candidate readiness and uncertainty about future demand. We expect them to differ by trade, region and business size.

Can unions and contractor associations participate?

Yes. Choose union or association on the first question and you will get a short separate questionnaire about your region, trades, whether first-year applications exceed placements, the barriers your employers report and whether placement data is available. Those answers are reported separately and are never counted in the employer statistics.

Will responses remain confidential?

Answers are collected without your name and reported in aggregate. If you choose a follow-up, your contact details are stored separately from your answers and used only for what you chose. We will not quote you by name, or record you, without separate permission. See the privacy information on this page.

Launch League | Ontario workforce research

Are Ontario employers ready to train the next generation of skilled trades workers?

Ontario is encouraging more people to enter the skilled trades. But do employers have the work, resources and capacity to hire and train them? Launch League is gathering firsthand feedback from contractors, skilled trades employers and industry organizations across Ontario to understand the barriers and the opportunities.

Complete the employer survey Learn about the research

By Nick Gonzalez, founder, U.S. Air Force veteranPublished November 4, 2026Last reviewed November 4, 2026How we research and correct this

Why this research matters

Training is not the same as a registered apprenticeship.

Ontario faces long-term skilled labour challenges, and governments, colleges and employers are working to bring more people into the trades. Skilled Trades Ontario describes itself as a one-stop shop for opportunities in the skilled trades, with pages for employers on the benefits of hiring an apprentice and how to get financial support.

Enrolling in a college or pre-apprenticeship program does not by itself produce a registered apprenticeship. An apprentice needs an employer to take them on, and an employer needs customer demand, someone qualified to supervise, and the time and money to do it. Hiring an inexperienced first-year apprentice is also a different decision from hiring a qualified journeyperson: the first costs supervision before it returns productivity, the second brings skills on day one.

The national numbers show why the details matter. Statistics Canada reports that new apprenticeship registrations in Canada reached a record 101,541 in 2024, up 5.9% from 2023, while 46,971 apprentices certified, up 1.0% and still 9.6% below pre-pandemic levels. In Ontario, certifications fell 0.9% in 2024, even as growth in automotive service and electrical apprentices in the province helped lift the national registration total. Registrations and finished apprenticeships are different measures, and neither says whether employers can take on more.

The picture is probably not the same everywhere. Some businesses may have plenty of work but no one with the time to train. Others may want to grow but not have enough work to add a person. Electrical, mechanical, construction, industrial, automotive and agricultural trades face different demand, equipment and supervision needs, and a small contractor in Chatham-Kent is not in the position of a large industrial employer in Toronto. Existing financial incentives should be judged by what they change in real hiring and apprenticeship outcomes, not by how generous they sound.

This research aims to understand those differences instead of presuming one explanation. We are not assuming there are too many graduates, or that employers are unwilling to train. We are asking employers what is actually happening.

Our position

“Recruitment is the beginning. Apprenticeship is the pathway. Employment is the outcome.”

What we want to find out

Do Ontario employers need more experienced tradespeople or more first-year apprentices?
How many additional apprentices could businesses realistically support?
What prevents employers from training more apprentices?
Are graduates struggling to obtain their first registered apprenticeship?
Would government incentives change employers' actual hiring decisions?
How do these challenges differ by region, trade and company size?

Privacy and consent

What we collect, and what we do with it

What is collected. Your answers: type of organization, region, trades, size, hiring plans, barriers and supports. We do not ask for your name to take part. Contact details are asked for only if you choose a follow-up, and a short link or QR code you arrived by may be recorded as a campaign tag.

How answers are used. To write a research report and to inform public policy discussions and practical employer-focused solutions. Results are reported in aggregate with the number of responses and the limits of the data stated.

Kept apart. Contact details are stored separately from your answers, with nothing linking the two. Named quotes, audio recordings and public testimonials would each need your separate, explicit permission.

Not marketing. Follow-up choices are research permissions only. Answering the survey does not subscribe you to a newsletter or a sales campaign, and nothing is pre-selected.

Who processes the data. The survey runs on Launch League's own website, which uses Vercel for hosting and Supabase for its database. Responses are not shared with the Government of Ontario, Skilled Trades Ontario or any union.

Your choices. Email admin@launchleague.ca to withdraw a follow-up permission or have your contact details deleted. We keep contact details only as long as the follow-up you chose needs them. Anonymous answers cannot be traced back to you, so they are kept for the research. See also the privacy policy.

The employer survey

Three minutes, mostly tap to answer

Employers, contractors and skilled trades businesses: this is for you. Unions and associations: choose your organization type on the first question for a short separate set of questions.

Research updates

Research underway, findings to follow

Research underway: findings to be published following data collection.

There are no results yet and none are shown. When there is enough data, the report will give the number of responses, how people were reached and what the survey cannot tell us. A small sample will not be presented as an Ontario-wide finding.

Planned research notes

Why Ontario employers struggle to hire apprentices
The difference between skilled trades graduates and registered apprentices
What it costs employers to train apprentices
How small Ontario contractors can support apprenticeship training
Apprenticeship opportunities by region

These are planned titles, not published articles. Each will appear here when it is ready.

For associations and unions

The more employers who answer, the stronger anything we can say. If you run a contractor association, a union local or an apprenticeship training organization, you are welcome to pass this on.

Short link for emails, newsletters and QR codes: launchleague.ca/trades-surveyAsk a question about the research

About the research

Who is behind it

Launch League is a Chatham-Kent-based organization focused on developing people, supporting businesses and strengthening communities. Founder Nick Gonzalez has experience leading skilled trades service operations across HVAC, plumbing and electrical services.

This research seeks to better understand what employers need to create and maintain meaningful apprenticeship opportunities. Our goal is to support practical, evidence-informed solutions.

Launch League is an independent organization. This research is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by the Government of Ontario, Skilled Trades Ontario or any union.

Related Launch League pages

Skilled trades help and guides Apprenticeship grants in Ontario Skilled trades organizations Careers in the trades Skilled trades in Chatham-Kent Career days for schools

Questions

Straight answers

Why is Launch League surveying Ontario skilled trades employers?: Ontario is encouraging more people into the skilled trades, and we want to know what employers themselves say about taking on and training apprentices: whether they have the work, the supervision and the resources. We are not assuming there are too many graduates or that employers are unwilling to train. We are asking, and we will publish what we learn in aggregate.
Who should complete the survey?: Anyone who hires, supervises or employs skilled trades workers in Ontario: contractors, industrial and manufacturing employers, and agricultural or equipment service businesses. The owner, a manager or whoever handles hiring is the right person. One response per business is ideal.
What prevents employers from hiring first-year apprentices?: That is what the survey measures, so we are not claiming an answer yet. Possible reasons include not enough work, wage costs, the time to supervise, a lack of mentors, regulatory requirements, candidate readiness and uncertainty about future demand. We expect them to differ by trade, region and business size.
Can unions and contractor associations participate?: Yes. Choose union or association on the first question and you will get a short separate questionnaire about your region, trades, whether first-year applications exceed placements, the barriers your employers report and whether placement data is available. Those answers are reported separately and are never counted in the employer statistics.
Will responses remain confidential?: Answers are collected without your name and reported in aggregate. If you choose a follow-up, your contact details are stored separately from your answers and used only for what you chose. We will not quote you by name, or record you, without separate permission. See the privacy information on this page.
How will the research findings be used?: We plan to publish a report with the number of responses and the limits of the data clearly stated, share it with respondents who ask for it, and use it to inform public policy discussions and practical employer-focused solutions. No findings exist yet; the results section will stay marked as underway until there is enough data to say something defensible.

Sources

Figures are quoted from the sources above as published. Launch League's own survey has no results yet. This page was last reviewed on November 4, 2026.