The 2023 British Columbia Labour Market Outlook (LMO) released in late November provides British Columbians with an understanding of what is forecasted to happen to BC’s labour market over the upcoming decade, highlighting which industry is going to see the largest increase in employment.

The LMO is based on a combination of variables relating to things such as demographic and industry trends and other micro- and macro-ranging economic trends.

In BC alone, 980,000 job openings are expected between 2023 and 2033, which is down from the 2022 forecast of 1,017,000 job openings between 2022 and 2032. Of these job openings, 35% are due to expansion in the economy and 65% are due to the need to replace retiring workers.

Over the next decade, ten industries will generate approximately 84% of the projected job openings in BC, with transportation at the number six spot:

The trades occupations with the highest projected job openings from 2023 to 2033 related to our industry are:

• Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers (5,120 job openings),
• Heavy-duty equipment mechanics (2,340 job openings), and
• Auto body collision, refinishing, and glass technicians and damage repair estimators (1,170 job openings).

For More Information

On January 16th, 2024 from 10:00 am - 11:30 am BCTA has organized the authors of the LMO Report to present their findings and answer any questions BCTA members may have at our HR Committee meeting. If you would like to attend, please contact BCTA Vice President, Cory Paterson at CoryP@BCTrucking.com.

A copy of the B.C. Labour Market Outlook: 2023 Edition can be found here.

In addition, since the commercial transportation sector is an essential pillar of supply chain processes, maintaining its operational efficiency is of critical importance. For this reason, the BCTA’s Mandatory Entry Level Training (MELT) Grant Program seeks to reduce workforce shortages for motor carrier members. By administering funding to eligible British Columbians that want to pursue their careers as skilled Class 1 Drivers, the program covers a substantial amount of the cost involved in participating in the MELT Course. Learn more about BCTA’s MELT Grant Program here or email us at MELT@BCTrucking.com.