RESILIENT B.C. TECH SECTOR FORECASTS 3,000 NEW JOBS

Vancouver, BC, February 22, 2012 – The British Columbia technology sector has weathered the global downturn and will create thousands of new jobs in the coming year, according to the latest survey of B.C. tech companies.

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.

“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.