Tech Jobs Lead The Way in B.C.

We’ve been beating the technology drum for a few weeks now on Vancity Buzz. It’s a sector that is growing and is a driving force in the economy. This is why we feel the city of Vancouver needs to nurture its tech sector and help it blossom it something even bigger. Technology companies in B.C. expect to generate at least 3,000 new jobs this year, up more than 5 per cent from the year before. The biggest demand will be for software and hardware engineers, customer support staff, sales and marketing staff, and technical managers. Long story short, tech will lead the way.

“This robust job growth shows the resilience of B.C.’s technology sector,” said BC Technology Industry Association President & CEO Bill Tam. “Our industry has added back all of the jobs lost in the downturn and has returned to peak employment levels. We’re now ready to set the course for the next decade, driving new records for industry employment and revenues.”

The 2012 BCTIA TechTalentBC survey, a bi-annual study of B.C. technology companies, shows that respondents grew their number of employees by more than 12 per cent between September 2010 and September 2011. Those same companies predict a need for at least 3,000 and potentially as many as 4,000 new employees between now and September 2012.

There are more than 8,000 companies in the B.C. technology sector, and more than 16,000 sole entrepreneurs. Over 80,000 people work in the sector, which has created more than 20,000 jobs during the past decade.

“The tech sector now employs more British Columbians than the forestry, mining, and oil and gas sectors combined,” said Tam. “These are clean, knowledge-based jobs offering high salaries that attract skilled workers from across B.C and from around the world.”

Here are some top 10 facts about the B.C. tech industry:

1. More than 80,000 people work in the British Columbia technology sector.
2. There are more than 8,000 companies and more than 16,000 sole proprietors working in technology in B.C.
3. The tech sector created more than 20,000 jobs in B.C. the past 10 years.
4. Technology companies surveyed expect to create 3,000 and as many as 4,000 new jobs between now and September 2012.
5. The technology sector now employs more people than the forestry, mining, and oil and gas sectors combined.
6. The Technology sector has outperformed the BC economy as a whole for the past decade.
7. Revenue growth in B.C.’s tech sector is outpacing the rest of Canada.
8. Technology jobs grew 50 per cent faster than overall job growth in the province.
9. Technology wages are 50 per cent higher than the average industrial wage in B.C.
10. 82 per cent of tech companies are small businesses with ten or fewer employees.