A Dynamic and Diverse Labour Market

British Columbia’s high quality, diverse labour pool of 2.4 million has continuously expanded in line with the needs of high-growth sectors. Employmnent between 1998 and 2008 grew by 450,000.

Sector		2008 Employment		Employment Growth 1998 -2008
Construction		220,800		+ 97,700
Manufacturing		187,400		- 8,800
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Leasing		147,200		+ 19,500
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services		174,000		+ 61,900
Accommodation & Food Services		178,100		+ 35,900
Forestry, Fishing, Mining, Oil & Gas		45,400		- 8,600

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

Index of average scores (British Columbia = 100)

Source: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Program for International Student Assessment, 2006

Training Smart, Skilled and Tech Savvy

Over 1,900 programs are offered at B.C.'s 25 publicly funded post-secondary institutions--11 universities – including five new universities, 11 colleges, and three institutes.

• 65 per cent of British Columbia employees have post-secondary education —more than 23 per cent hold a university degree.
• British Columbia’s universities awarded almost 20,000 degrees in 2005/06, 23 per cent in sciences and engineering, and 14 per cent in business.
• In 2006/07, 5,100 technology and technical credentials were awarded by BCIT. Over 21,000 post-secondary credentials were granted by other institutions.
• Since 2001, 22,000 new post-secondary student spaces have been added to meet future skill demands.
• Since 2001, $1.2 billion has been committed to improve campuses and $1.5 billion has been committed for research and innovation.

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 :

• Over 126,000 skilled workers immigrated to British Columbia between 2000 and 2007, enriching BC’s international networks, cultural diversity and multi-lingual capabilities.
• A fast-track immigration process expedites recruitment of highly skilled foreign workers. A provincial program introduced in 2005 accelerates the entry of skilled immigrants into their fields of expertise.
• Vancouver was ranked the most livable city in the world by the “Economist Intelligence Unit” in 2008, an affiliate of Britain-based Economist magazine. Vancouver was ranked against 132 cities on crime rate, threat from civil unrest or terrorism, transportation and communication infrastructure, recreational and cultural activity and “big-city buzz”.
• The Mercer Group’s 2009 Quality of Living Survey ranks Vancouver fourth out of 215 cities worldwide, and first in North America.

2009 World Quality of Living Rankings

Source: Mercer Human Resource Consulting, 2009

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