Provincial Employment Potential Information

The following table identifies employment conditions within British Columbia.

Additional Provincial Prospects

Visit the Provincial Job Futures for information on the current trends and the future outlook for occupations in this province or territory. This Web site is a joint effort of the federal, provincial and territorial governments. You can view a report specific to this occupation on: Provincial Job Futures - (Employment Prospects section) Web Site.

Labour Market Bulletins

An analysis of the local labour market and an assessment of local employment-related events.

• May 2013 | (PDF, 447 KB)
• April 2013 | (PDF, 495 KB)
• March 2013 | (PDF, 231 KB)
• February 2013 | (PDF, 229 KB)
• January 2013 | (PDF, 250 KB)
• Annual Edition 2012 | (PDF, 463 KB)

Provincial / Territorial Labour Market News

Week of Jun 03 – Jun 07, 2013

• The Lower Mainland economy continued growing in 2012 but at a slower pace than in 2011. This was partly due to a housing market slowdown and on-going government fiscal restraint.
• Metro Vancouver had the lowest job posting numbers in Canada in May, according to the Conference Board of Canada; while Abbotsford-Mission saw an increase in new hiring by employers.
• The New Westminster school district has approved cutting 60 positions, including 27 teaching assistants and 19 teachers, to balance the 2013-2014 school year budget
• To reduce expenses, Translink plans to lay off 26 to 32 unionized HandyDART drivers in late July, and transfer 10,000 hours of service to private taxis. HandyDART transports people with physical or cognitive disabilities.
• Catalyst Paper is seeking to hire and train young people to replace its retiring Port Alberni pulp mill workforce. In the past 18 months, the Catalyst mill has hired 60 people and is concerned it may be facing a labour shortage.
• Quality Foods is recruiting 75 to 100 staff for a new grocery store scheduled to open in Langford in in May 2014. The company currently employs 1,000 people in 11 stores on Vancouver Island.
• After losing jobs in 2011, Vancouver Island employment grew 0.7% in 2012, well below the provincial average of 1.7%. Most of the new jobs were concentrated in Greater Victoria.
• Following a strong showing in 2011, the Kootenay region economy performed well in 2012. Annual employment rose 3.7% in 2012, with positive gains in a number of industries.
• After shrinking in 2011, the Thompson-Okanagan economy grew by a modest 0.8 per cent in 2012; and the region’s 2012 job growth was well below the provincial average.
• Cariboo region jobs increased for the third consecutive year in 2012, and the total number surpassed the pre-recession high. This is mainly due to a rebound in mining, forestry and construction.
• Wholesale Sports Outdoors Outfitters have announced the opening of a new store in Prince George in September
• A new report from the Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada estimates that BC could have an additional 640 to 1,600 oil and gas jobs over the next ten years
• Chetwynd Forest Industries is finalizing a plan to begin pine salvage harvesting in the Little Prairie Community Forest this summer. The harvest is expected to continue until 2017.

Week of May 27 – May 31, 2013

• BC's tourism industry is still recovering from the 2009 recession
• The Aboriginal Tourism Association of BC reports the demand for Aboriginal tourism experiences exceeds the supply, and business opportunities abound for First Nations communities
• Vancouver’s cruise ship industry is seeing a 20% passenger increase over 2012. Cruise lines generate nearly 7,000 jobs and nearly $259M in wages and salaries in BC.
• Fraser Valley blueberry farmers are concerned the shortage of bees will hurt their crops this year. Tens of thousands of bees are needed to pollinate 20,000 acres of blueberry crops.
• The Vancouver School Board has issued layoff notices to adult education teachers for the first time in its history. The reduction, which is due to low enrolment, is equivalent to 25 full-time jobs and affects 48 faculty members.
• Extremely poor housing affordability in Vancouver area still weighs heavily on homebuyer demand, according to RBC’s May 2013 Housing Trends and Affordability report
• Large defense contracts have been awarded to Weatherhaven in Burnaby and MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates in Richmond for portable repair shelters for helicopters and satellite image technology
• A new trade certification for experienced BC shipyard and parks workers is expected to help Vancouver-based Seaspan Marine find labourers to fulfill an $8B contract to build non-combat navy ships
• Construction is underway on the next phase of the Waterfront at Mill Bay Marina project, near Victoria. The project, which calls for 14 townhouse units in four buildings, is expected to be complete by the end of 2014.
• Catalyst Paper has sold its 1200-acre Elk Falls pulp and paper site to Calgary-based Quicksilver Resources Canada. The mill was closed in 2009 and the site is being redeveloped for multiple industrial uses.
• A surge in the Okanagan wine industry’s 2012 grape harvest bodes well for wine sales in 2013 and 2014. The useable crop increased 17%, due in part to favourable weather.
• Film shoots in Kelowna, Summerland and Vernon will create temporary job opportunities for local film production crews during the summer of 2013
• The B.C. Aboriginal Mine Training Association announced details of the $100,000 partnership to cover the costs of training 20 students from the Chetwynd area in the environmental technician certificate program
• National Concrete Accessories is opening a branch in Prince George in early June
• A Costco gas bar originally scheduled to open in June has yet to begin construction and will be delayed until September

Week of May 20 – May 24, 2013

• US-based technology firm Analogic has issued layoff notices to 140 employees as part of a move to consolidate manufacturing and support functions. About a fifth of the affected workers are in Vancouver.
• The Burnaby school district is laying off 75 teachers in what it refers to as a regular annual exercise. The District expects to rehire most of the affected employees in the fall of 2013.
• FedEx Freight Canada has opened a multi-million dollar service centre in the City of Surrey; employing approximately 45 people
• Coquitlam-based Rokstad Power Corp. has grown its skilled trades workforce from 40 to 300 in less than five years, and expects to hire another 200 to 300 people by 2016 due to a boom in power-line construction
• Construction on the $80M Royal Inland Hospital redevelopment in Kamloops is expected to start early in 2014 and last two years
• Lower Columbia businesses are planning to invest more than $60M over the next three years, according to a recent survey. A lack of skilled staff was commonly cited as a critical barrier to business expansion.
• A $400,000 federal grant signed with North Island employers will create 92 summer jobs for students this year
• Six Cowichan Valley middle schools are being closed due to a budget shortfall, and layoff notices have been issued to 75 full-time teachers. Another 90 teachers on temporary contracts will be laid off at the end of June 2013.
• Vancouver Island construction employment fell 15% in the first quarter of 2013, as fewer home sales slowed residential building. The industry expects improvement in 2014.
• School District 52, Ridley Terminals Inc. and Northwest Community College have partnered up to bring The Millwright/Industrial Mechanic Foundation Training program to Prince Rupert. The program is aimed at both high school students and adults.
• BC's three major coal ports have committed a combined $365M to increase coal handling capacity; which will result in at least 175 new jobs by 2015
• Petronas has begun engineering work for a massive BC natural gas export project in Prince Rupert
• BG Group has filed its proposed Prince Rupert LNG export plans with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency

Week of May 13 – May 17, 2013

• Over 300 Richmond IKEA employees were locked out by their employer on May 13 after rejecting concession demands in a collective agreement proposal. No talks are scheduled between the two parties.
• Ramsay Machine Works in Sidney hopes its newly completed $20M coal slinger marks an upturn in manufacturing in BC. The slinger, commissioned by Port Metro Vancouver, provided steady employment for 60 Ramsay employees over 19 months.
• Fewer bookings at the Victoria Conference Centre a troubling trend for the local hospitality and retail sectors which rely on the centre to generate business
• School District 20 in Rossland plans to reduce teaching, counselling, and administrative jobs due to a budget reduction. Teachers on temporary contracts are expected to be hardest hit.
• A SuperValu grocery store is opening on May 22 in North Burnaby's Greystone Plaza, the same location IGA vacated in 2011. The new store will employ some former IGA employees.
• Chilliwack had one of the fastest-growing mid-sized economies in Canada between 2005 and 2012, according to the Conference Board of Canada
• Pacific Coast Terminals in Port Moody has delayed a major terminal expansion project. Construction is now expected to be complete in two phases between 2014 and 2016. Once complete, the terminal will create an estimated 90 longshore jobs.
• Dawson's Creek has given permission for a number of new projects, including a 24-unit mixed-use building, a light industry building, a shop expansion, a veterinary clinic, and an oilfield operation
• Gold mining has seen a resurgence in BC over the last decade. The industry grew by 25% from 2010 to 2011 alone.
• The Mount Milligan gold-copper mine is still on target to open in August. Construction is employing 1000 people and, when completed, the project will create 400 permanent positions.
• UK's BG Group has created a $16B plan to export gas from a new terminal at Prince Rupert, bringing the number of similar projects up to 10
• Target has announced the opening of 24 stores across Western Canada on May 7 and May 14, including 10 in BC