A DYNAMIC, DIVERSE LABOUR MARKET
British Columbia’s high quality, diverse labour pool of 2.2 million grew by almost 300,000 between 1994 and 2004. Our dynamic labour market has continuously expanded to meet the needs of high-growth sectors.
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Sector |
Employment |
Employment Growth |
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2004 |
1994 - 2004 |
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Tourism, Hospitality & Entertainment |
252,000 |
+ 69,500 |
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IT, Engineering & Scientific Services |
91,600 |
+ 35,800 |
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Advanced Manufacturing |
53,500 |
+ 18,700 |
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Financial, Business & Information Services |
73,600 |
+ 16,100 |
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Source: Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada |
TOP QUALITY PUBLIC EDUCATION
Secondary school students in British Columbia receive a first-rate education to prepare them for employment or advanced training. Our youth achieve some of the highest scores in international tests of core skills.
PERFORMANCE OF INTERNATIONAL YOUTH IN MATH, SCIENCE, READING AND PROBLEM SOLVING
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Index of average scores (British Columbia = 100) |
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British Columbia |
100.0 |
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Japan |
99.6 |
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Canada |
98.7 |
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United States |
91.1 |
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source: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Program for International Student Assessment, 2003 |
TRAINING SMART, TECH SAVVY WORKERS
Six public universities, four university colleges, the BC Institute of Technology (BCIT), and 16 community post-secondary education institutions produce a wealth of new talent:
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66 per cent of British Columbia employees have post-secondary education – more than 21 per cent hold a university degree |
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Over 17,000 university degrees were awarded in 2003, 30 per cent in sciences and engineering, and 14 per cent in business |
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In 2003/04, more than 5,000 technology and technical credentials were awarded by BCIT, on top of 22,000 post-secondary credentials granted by other institutions |
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The Province has committed $6 billion over three years for advanced education, funding 25,000 new seats to meet future skill demands |
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An estimated 3,000 person-years of career-related work experience are provided annually through student internship programs |
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ATTRACTING SKILLED WORKERS
International immigration is a key source of new skills for British Columbia. An expanding economy and outstanding quality of life make us a global magnet for mobile talent:
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Almost 155,000 skilled workers immigrated to British Columbia between 1993 and 2003, bringing offshore contact networks and talent in cross-cultural communications |
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A fast-track immigration process expedites recruitment of highly skilled foreign workers, and a provincial program introduced in 2005 accelerates the entry of skilled immigrants into their fields of expertise |
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The Mercer Group’s 2004 Quality of Life Survey ranks Vancouver second out of 215 cities worldwide, and first in North America |
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Mercer’s 2004 Cost of Living Survey shows Vancouver is less expensive than major U.S. west coast cities |
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2004 World Quality of Life Rankings |
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Vancouver, British Columbia |
2 |
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San Francisco, California |
24 |
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Seattle, Washington |
45 |
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Source: Mercer Group Human Resource Consulting |
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2004 Cost of Living Index (Vancouver B.C. = 100) |
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Vancouver, British Columbia |
100 |
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San Francisco, California |
121 |
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Seattle, Washington |
103 |
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Source: Mercer Group Human Resource Consulting |
