Quality Employees

British Columbia offers a high quality, diverse labour pool that is constantly being replenished by immigration and graduates of B.C.'s many universities and colleges

• Qualified workers are drawn to British Columbia for its high standard of living and quality of life.
• Canadian and B.C. government policies encourage immigration of people with business and employment-related skills that provide Vancouver with a talented and diverse labour pool with strong international connections.

Well-Educated Employees

• Over 66% of people employed in Vancouver have some form of higher education (62% in British Columbia).
• B.C. offers over 1,900 programs at 11 universities, 11 colleges and 3 institutes.
• Immigrants to Canada are well educated: among those immigrating between 2001 and 2006, half had a university degree. Among working age individuals, immigrants account for half of all doctorate degrees and over 40% of people with a master’s degrees.

A Diversified Labour Market

• 41.7% of people residing in Vancouver are visible minorities (24.8% of British Columbians).
• In Vancouver, 46.5% of the population know one or more non-official languages (31% in British Columbia).
• There is a continuous supply of new entrants to the workforce to replace those exiting. In 2008, British Columbia gained over 55,000 people (net international migration) and 6,405 people (net interprovincial migration).

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