The prospects for stronger economic growth in BC and Canada are inextricably linked to a strengthening tech industry. Evidenced by the launch of the provincial #BCTech Strategy and reinforced by the federal government’s commitment to renewing Canada’s Innovation agenda, the technology industry is poised to be a driving force for BC and Canada’s economy. Technology remains the fastest growing industry in BC, contributing over $23 billion in annual GDP, and supports the growth and competitiveness of BC’s diverse industries.

While the economic opportunity for technology is clear, it is important to recognize that fully realizing this opportunity is dependent on people.

Talent is what fuels the BC Tech industry. Building a solid foundation of human capital, whether homegrown or globally sourced, is among our critical success factors. With growing concerns on the availability of talent, we’ve embarked on a renewed effort to assess the labour market opportunities and challenges.

We have partnered with the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism & Skills Training within the BC Government to launch a comprehensive province-wide labour market study covering the entirety of BC’s tech industry, including the five key subsectors – ICT, Interactive and Digital Media, Cleantech, Lifesciences, and Engineering Services. This will serve to deepen our understanding of current market conditions influencing the labour supply and demand imbalance; and to design informed approaches to addressing the workforce development issues affecting the tech industry.

From this research we will develop a five-year forecast and predict labour market trends for BC. This data-driven approach will lead to insights and actions to better align the labour market to the short, medium, and long-term needs of the province and help to develop strategies, programs, and policies to support the accelerated growth of BC Tech.

The BCTIA is also partnering with the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC), who will draw on their vast national labour market research experience to undertake this study; the Vancouver Economic Commission (VEC), BC Innovation Council (BCIC), BC Jobs, LifeSciences BC, DigiBC, CMPA, and other industry partners.

The results of this research will be published in the fall edition of the 2016 TechTalentBC Report. This will also help to inform an update to our policy priorities outlined in our 4-Point Plan.

Over the coming months the BCTIA and our partners will be seeking input from tech companies, post-secondary partners, educators, and other key stakeholders. Active participation and high-quality input from valued stakeholders is essential to the credibility, success, and impact of this project for our industry.

Our mission is to ensure that BC has the talent for today and tomorrow, to ensure that BC continues on an upward trajectory of innovation and competitiveness in the global economy.

To learn more and participate in the project, please email policy@bctia.org.