One million job openings are expected in B次元官网网址 over the next 10 years, a report claims.
鈥淭he 2023 Labour Market Outlook forecasts B次元官网网址 to post an average of nearly 100,000 job openings annually over the next decade,鈥 the report, released by the province on Friday, said.
The Thompson-Okanagan region is expected to have 125,000 job openings in the next decade. B次元官网网址 33 per cent of these jobs will come through economic growth. The remaining 67 per cent will be to replace workers, most of whom will be retiring. Currently, 308,000 people are employed in the region, the report said.
The population of Thompson-Okanagan is forecast to grow by 1.6 per cent per year, from 645,000 in 2023 to 755,600 in 2033. This will be the second highest growth rate in B次元官网网址
Top industries for employment growth in our area will be retail, hospitals, specialty trades, education, and ambulatory health-care services.
鈥淭his region is the only one to observe relatively strong growth in the population aged 0 to 14, at 1.2 per cent per year. Consequently, employment demand for elementary and secondary schools is relatively strong,鈥 the report said.
Forty-four per cent of the population increase will be in the 65-and-over age group. The 15-64 category will account for a little more than 45 per cent of the growth.
Provincewide, 鈥渆mployment is projected to grow at an average of 1.2 per cent per year and the province is expected to reach 3.1 million people employed by 2033,鈥 a government news release explained.
B次元官网网址 65,000 workers will leave the labour force permanently every year, mainly due to retirement.
Provincewide, the report also found:
鈥 Between 2023 and 2033, approximately 75 per cent of job openings will require some level of post-secondary education or training.
鈥 Approximately 65 per cent of job openings, which equates to approximately 653,000 jobs, will be needed to replace workers leaving the labour force and 35 per cent 鈥 or approximately 345,000 jobs 鈥 will be created through economic growth.
鈥 Young people (aged 29 or younger) entering the labour force for the first time are expected to make up 47 per cent of new job seekers.
鈥 Almost as many, 46 per cent, of new job seekers will be immigrants. The report estimates B次元官网网址 will see 470,000 new immigrant workers over the next decade.
Top fields for job growth in the province will be: health care and social assistance; professional, scientific and technical services; retail; education services; construction; accommodation and food services; and transportation and warehousing. The health care and social assistance industry will generate the largest number of job openings (166,300) over the coming decade,鈥 the report said.
鈥淥ver 75 per cent of the estimated job opening in the construction industry will arise from the need to replace retiring workers.鈥