2. C ONTENTS
Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................2
Project Methodology................................................................................................................................................ 7
Section 1 – Labour Demand Forecast................................................................................................................. 10
Headcount Overview.............................................................................................................................................. 10
Management Positions........................................................................................................................................... 11
Non‐Management Positions................................................................................................................................... 11
Key Barriers to Recruitment ................................................................................................................................... 16
Most Difficult Positions to Hire .............................................................................................................................. 17
Profile: Sole Entrepreneurs .................................................................................................................................... 22
Section 2 – Recruitment and Retention Strategies and Tactics ........................................................................... 24
Recruitment............................................................................................................................................................ 24
Provincial Nominee Program.................................................................................................................................. 28
Quality of Work/Life ............................................................................................................................................... 29
Section 3 – Alternative Strategies for Talent...................................................................................................... 30
Nearsourcing and Outsourcing............................................................................................................................... 30
Utilization of Academic Resources ......................................................................................................................... 31
Hiring Technical Positions From Non‐Traditional Demographics........................................................................... 33
Section 4 – Building Existing Talent through Training......................................................................................... 35
Training Budget ...................................................................................................................................................... 35
Desired Training Areas............................................................................................................................................ 36
APPENDICES ..................................................................................................................................................... 38
Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................................... 39
Supporting Organizations ....................................................................................................................................... 39
Key Organizations................................................................................................................................................... 39
BC Technology Industry .................................................................................................................................... 40
Fast Facts.......................................................................................................................................................... 41
BC Technology Industry Association Page 1
February 2008
3. E XECUTIVE S UMMARY
The 2007 TechTalentBC study indicates that BC’s technology sector is very bullish on their continued growth, with
headcount predicted to grow more than 15.1% between September 1, 2007, and September 1, 2008. These findings are in
line with the results of the 2006 TechTalentBC Labour Demand study, which predicted a bullish 14.6% increase in
headcount for the period of September 2006 to September 2007.
With a base of approximately 69,000 technology jobs (not including the 6,500 employees in motion picture production and
and post‐production), a growth of 15% will create approximately 10,000 net new jobs in the industry.
Although the actual headcount prediction is typically an optimistic projection (companies tend to assume that they will hit
their requisite milestone targets and be able to find the talent they require when they need it), it indicates confidence in
both the prospects for individual companies and the industry as a whole.
Using 2006 as a baseline, companies expected an increase of 9,000 jobs, while BC Stats tracked growth of about 4,400 net
new jobs for the same period. However, this does not mean that 9,000 jobs were not created in the last year, just that not
all jobs were net new. One company’s gain typically creates an unpredicted vacancy at another local company, particularly
as the vast majority of hiring is done locally. Assuming that the 2006 trend holds true and that the required talent can be
found, the BC technology industry can expect to add at least another 5,000 net new jobs by Sept 1, 2008.
JOB CATEGORIES WITH GREATEST DEMAND (ABSOLUTE GROWTH)
Designed to collect employee headcounts from participating companies, the TechTalentBC Labour Demand profile focuses
on current‐year headcounts by labour category, as well as expected headcounts one year hence. Changes to the anticipated
employee counts and skills mix provide the foundation for understanding near‐term BC labour trends.
Expected demand for new positions is highest in the following categories over the next twelve months. Note that while
some positions (such as executive management) have a smaller projected relative growth, their absolute growth is still
quite considerable.
Job Category Growth (%) Growth (#)
Executive Management 8.7% 240
Sales Management 41.8% 230
Sales Professionals 34.4% 480
Marketing 43.5% 300
Product Management 42.1% 180
Project Management 37.1% 550
Technical Management 21.4% 450
Technical Customer Service 24.0% 675
Software Engineer 36.0% 1,000
Total – Top Categories 4,105
BC Technology Industry Association Page 2
January 2008
10. # of % of
Type of Company
Companies Companies
Private Companies with FTEs (Including Divisions and Subsidiaries) 229 61%
Public Companies (Including Divisions and Subsidiaries) 74 20%
Sole Entrepreneurs 65 17%
Government Organization/Nonprofit Organization or Co‐operative 10 3%
A wide range of companies participated in the survey. Over half (61%) of the respondents indicated that they are
private companies with FTEs. One‐fifth (20%) described their companies as public.
Close to one‐fifth (17%) of respondents described themselves as sole entrepreneurships. The number of sole
entrepreneurs in BC is growing steadily and comprises a significant proportion of the technology companies in BC.
An overview of sole entrepreneurs is provided later in the report.
Decade Company Founded # of Companies % of Companies
2000 to 2007 123 32%
1990 to 1999 121 31%
1980‐1989 64 17%
Prior to 1980 42 11%
No response 36 9%
Range of Years and Median 1865 to 2007; median year: 1996
Min Max Median
Year Founded 1865 2007 1995
Annual Revenue $0 (pre‐revenue) $1,150,000,000 $1,400,000
Total Annual Revenue $5,000,000
The majority of the companies that responded to the survey are reasonably well‐established, with a median age of
11 years, a median headcount of 14 employees and median annual revenue of $1.3 million. These statistics do
reflect a slight skew to larger, more mature organizations, which suggests that the numbers are more likely to be
conservative and more predictive than a sample comprising predominantly less mature companies.
Historical labour trends from BC Stats indicate that the BC technology industry has experienced considerable
growth over the past two decades. The number of companies entering the industry and the number of full‐time
employees in the industry have grown steadily since the late 1980s, and this pattern of this growth is reflected in
the age of the companies that responded to the survey. The majority (63%) of companies were established in 1990
or later. A third of the companies were formed in 2000 or later (32%), and another third in the 1990s (31%). Only a
few (11%) respondent companies cited that they were established prior to 1980.
BC Technology Industry Association Page 9
January 2008
11. S ECTION 1 – L ABOUR D EMAND F ORECAST
HEADCOUNT OVERVIEW
TOTAL BC HEADCOUNT
The 2007 study asked respondents to estimate the aggregate number of FTEs that they employed in BC at the time of the
survey (September 2007) and the number they expected to employ by September 2008 to determine the anticipated
industry growth over the next year.
Most (68%) companies stated that they expect to add full‐time employees within the next year, although close to one‐fifth
(18%) expect their overall headcount in BC to remain constant between September 1, 2007, and September 1, 2008. A small
number of respondents (1% or N=5) mentioned that they expect to decrease their number of BC‐based FTEs by September
2008.
Expected Growth # of Companies % of Companies
Expecting to Add FTEs 265 68%
Expecting No Change in FTEs 68 18%
Expecting a Decrease in FTEs 5 1%
No Response 48 13%
Median Mean Total
2007 13.5 52.6 19,079
2008 18 60.4 21,973
Absolute Growth (FTEs) 2,894
% Growth 15.1%
Overall, the 2007 TechTalentBC study indicates strong growth potential for BC’s technology sector, with headcount
predicted to grow more than 15.1% between September 1, 2007, and September 1, 2008. These findings are in line with
the results of the 2006 TechTalentBC Labour Demand study, which predicted a bullish 14.6% increase in headcount for the
period of September 2006 to September 2007.
With a base of approximately 69,000 technology jobs (not including the 6,500 employees in film and post‐production), a
growth of 15% extrapolates to approximately 10,000 net new jobs in the industry. While the actual headcount prediction is
typically an optimistic projection (companies tend to assume that they will hit their requisite milestone targets and be able
to obtain the talent they require when they need it), it is an important indicator of confidence in both the prospects for
individual companies and the industry as a whole.
Using 2006 as a baseline, respondent companies expected an increase of 9,000 jobs while BC Stats tracked growth of about
4,400 net new jobs for the same period. This does not mean that 9,000 jobs weren’t created in the last year, as one
company’s gain typically creates an unpredicted vacancy at another local company, particularly as the vast majority of
hiring is done locally. Assuming that the 2006 trend holds true and that the required talent can be found, the BC technology
industry can expect to add at least another 5,000 net new jobs by September 1, 2008.
BC Technology Industry Association Page 10
January 2008
12. MANAGEMENT POSITIONS
2007 2008 Growth (FTEs) % Growth
Executive Managers 903.7 982.7 78.9 8.7%
Sales Managers 183.9 260.8 76.9 41.8%
Product Managers 144.0 204.6 60.7 42.1%
Marketing Managers 125.7 157.1 31.4 25%
Project Managers 493.9 676.9 183.0 37.1%
Program Managers 116.9 141.1 24.3 20.8%
Technical Managers 702.9 853.0 150.1 21.4%
MANAGEMENT TOTAL 2670.9 3276.1 605.2 22.7%
To estimate the human resource needs at the management level, respondents were asked to indicate the number of
managers employed at the time of the survey (at the beginning of September 2007) and the number of managers expected
to be employed by the company by September 2008.
According to the results, all areas of management are expected to grow over the following year. Overall, total management
headcount is projected to grow by almost one‐quarter (22.7%) in the next twelve months, indicating that qualified
managers will most likely represent a growing labour need. The areas of highest anticipated percentage growth are product
managers (42%) and sales managers (42%), followed by project managers (37%). Executive managers are expected to have
the lowest headcount growth at 8%.
The field expected to experience the highest absolute growth is project managers, with the need for 183 FTE positions
forecast, and technical managers, with 150 new FTE positions needed during the next 12 months. This extrapolates to a
requirement for approximately 550 new project managers and 450 new technical managers.
SPECIALIST MANAGEMENT
2007 2008 Growth (FTEs) % Growth
Regulatory/Clinical Affairs 35.4 39.4 4.0 11.3%
Licensing Management 16.5 20.5 4.0 24.3%
Intellectual Property Management 19.3 31.6 12.3 63.5%
Quality Assurance 154.6 191.6 37.0 24.0%
Supply Chain Management 84.4 98.4 14.0 16.6%
SPECIALIST POSITIONS TOTAL 310.0 381.3 71.3 23.0%
Among the specialist positions, the strongest percentage growth is expected in intellectual property management
specialists, with an increase of 64% over the next 12 months. The strongest absolute growth will be in quality assurance,
with the creation of 110 new jobs in BC.
NON‐MANAGEMENT POSITIONS
In addition to management positions, respondents were asked to indicate the growth they expected across a number of
non‐management fields including marketing, sales, customer service, hardware and software, and technical positions.
Overall, the FTE headcounts for all non‐management positions are expected to increase in each of the areas. The largest
BC Technology Industry Association Page 11
January 2008
14. CUSTOMER SERVICE
Also in line with growth projections from 2006 is the need for more customer service positions, both general customer
service and technically‐oriented customer service reps. While 2006 saw a demand for 800 customer support positions, the
2007 study suggests the addition of 960 net new positions.
2007 2008 Growth (FTEs) % Growth
General – Entry 94.0 128.0 34.0 36.2%
General – Intermediate 383.0 431.0 48.0 12.5%
General – Senior 113.5 127.0 13.5 11.9%
General – TOTAL 590.5 686.0 95.5 16.2%
Technical – Entry 335.5 434.0 98.5 29.4%
Technical – Intermediate 359.0 446.0 87.0 24.2%
Technical – Senior 241.5 280.8 39.3 16.3%
Technical – TOTAL 936.0 1160.8 224.8 24.0%
CUSTOMER SERVICE TOTAL 1526.5 1846.8 320.3 21.0%
The overall growth in general customer service staff is relatively small compared to the other divisions. This area is
projected to grow by less than a fifth (16.2%) over the next 12 months. Most of this growth is expected to be in entry‐level
positions, which are anticipated to increase by just over one‐third (36%).
Technical customer service staff headcount is predicted to grow at a greater rate than general customer service. FTEs are
expected to increase by almost a quarter (24%) over the next 12 months, with most of that growth in entry‐ (29%) and
intermediate‐level (24%) positions.
The areas of highest absolute growth will be entry‐level technical customer service staff, with 98.5 FTE jobs forecast, and
intermediate technical customer service staff, with 87 new FTE positions anticipated.
TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT – HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE
2007 2008 Growth (FTEs) % Growth
Hardware Engineer – Entry 21.0 26.0 5.0 23.8%
Hardware Engineer – Intermediate 86.0 113.0 27.0 31.4%
Hardware Engineer – Senior 68.5 83.0 14.5 21.2%
Hardware Engineer – TOTAL 175.5 222.0 46.5 26.5%
Software Engineer – Entry 169.0 231.0 62.0 36.7%
Software Engineer – Intermediate 395.0 561.0 166.0 42.0%
Software Engineer – Senior 373.2 482.5 109.3 29.3%
Software Engineer – TOTAL 937.2 1274.5 337.3 36%
BC Technology Industry Association Page 13
January 2008
15. Operations – Entry 55.0 71.3 16.3 29.5%
Operations – Intermediate 109.4 131.9 22.5 20.6%
Operations – Senior 90.4 102.2 11.9 13.4%
Operations – TOTAL 252.7 303.3 50.6 20.0%
Testing – Entry 62.8 73.8 11.0 17.5%
Testing – Intermediate 104.1 137.1 33.0 31.7%
Testing – Senior 72.7 84.0 11.3 15.5%
Testing – TOTAL 239.6 294.9 55.3 23.1%
Analysts – Entry 2.5 4.5 2.0 80%
Analysts – Intermediate 28.0 43.0 15.0 53.6%
Analysts – Senior 44.4 57.1 12.8 28.7%
Analysts – TOTAL 74.9 104.6 29.8 39.7%
Multimedia Developer – Entry 11.1 13.4 2.3 20.7%
Multimedia Developer – Intermediate 41.0 61.0 20.0 48.8%
Multimedia Developer – Senior 38.3 55.3 17.0 44.4%
Multimedia Developer ‐ TOTAL 90.4 129.7 39.3 43.5%
HARDWARE & SOFTWARE TOTAL 1770.2 2328.9 558.8 31.6%
Overall growth in hardware and software headcount is predicted to be just under one‐third over the next 12 months. The
divisions that are expected to grow at the greatest rate are multimedia developers (44%), followed by analysts (40%) and
software engineers (36%). Positions in operations are expected to grow the least (20%).
The positions with the highest percentage growth will be entry‐level analysts (80%). For operations (20%) and engineering
(26%) the most significant growth is expected to occur in entry‐level positions. For all other job areas, greater growth is
projected in intermediate‐ and senior‐level positions. The areas of highest absolute growth will be intermediate and senior
software engineers, at 166 and 109.3 new FTE positions.
TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT – NON‐HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE
Growth
2007 2008 % Growth
(FTEs)
Civil Engineer – Entry 24.0 31.5 7.5 31.3%
Civil Engineer – Intermediate 16.2 25.0 8.8 54.3%
Civil Engineer – Senior 28.2 35.0 6.8 24.1%
Civil Engineer – TOTAL 68.4 91.5 23.1 33.8%
Environmental Engineer – Entry 3.0 5.0 2.0 66.7%
Environmental Engineer – Intermediate 4.0 6.0 2.0 50%
Environmental Engineer – Senior 10.1 12.2 2.1 20.8%
Environmental Engineer – TOTAL 17.1 23.2 6.1 35.7%
BC Technology Industry Association Page 14
January 2008
16. Electrical Engineer – Entry 5.0 8.0 3.0 60%
Electrical Engineer – Intermediate 19.0 22.0 3.0 15.8%
Electrical Engineer – Senior 20.1 29.0 8.9 44.3%
Electrical Engineer – TOTAL 44.1 59.0 14.9 33.8%
Mechanical Engineer – Entry 18.0 26.0 8.0 44.4%
Mechanical Engineer – Intermediate 79.0 99.0 20.0 25.3%
Mechanical Engineer – Senior 56.0 73.0 17.0 30.4%
Mechanical Engineer ‐ TOTAL 153.0 198.0 45.0 29.4%
Other Engineer – Entry 27.0 35.0 8.0 29.6%
Other Engineer – Intermediate 80.0 100.0 20.0 25.0%
Other Engineer – Senior 47.0 55.0 8.0 17.0%
Other Engineer – TOTAL 154.0 190.0 36.0 23.4%
Scientist – Entry 8.0 12.0 4.0 50.0%
Scientist – Intermediate 17.0 22.0 5.0 29.4%
Scientist – Senior 25.0 31.0 6.0 24.0%
Scientist – TOTAL 50.0 65.0 15.0 30%
Technical/Technologist – Entry 50.0 67.5 17.5 35.0%
Technical/Technologist – Intermediate 104.0 128.0 24.0 23.1%
Technical/Technologist – Senior 99.0 111.0 12.0 12.1%
Technical/Technologist ‐ TOTAL 253.0 306.5 53.5 21.1%
Production – Entry 107.8 166.8 59.0 54.7%
Production – Intermediate 390.0 425.5 35.5 9.1%
Production – Senior 446.4 485.2 38.8 8.7%
Production – TOTAL 944.2 1077.5 133.3 14.1%
TECHNICAL TOTAL 1683.8 2010.7 326.9 19.4%
Technical growth ranges fairly consistently from one‐fifth to one‐third across all sectors, with an overall percentage growth
of just under one‐fifth. The areas of highest expected percentage growth are entry‐level environmental engineers (66%),
entry‐level electrical engineers (60%) and entry‐level production (55%).
The areas of highest absolute growth will be entry‐ and intermediate‐level mechanical engineers, at 20 and 17 new FTE
positions respectively.
BC Technology Industry Association Page 15
January 2008
17.
KEY BARRIERS TO RECRUITMENT
Barrier # %
Q. In your experience, what are the key barriers to recruitment in BC? (Please select up to three)
Lack of Available Talent 113 22.9%
Higher Cost of Living 86 17.4%
Lack of Local Talent 81 16.4%
Price of Talent 69 14.0%
Cost of Recruitment 30 6.1%
Perceived Lack of Opportunities for Career Advancement in BC 26 5.3%
Difficulty Obtaining Work Permits or Visas for International Recruits 26 5.3%
Lack of Graduate Students from BC Academic Institutions 22 4.3%
Lack of Recognition of BC as a Center for Technological Excellence 21 4.3%
Lack of Employment Opportunities for Spouses 10 2.0%
Other 11 2.2%
Respondents were presented with a list of potential barriers to recruitment in BC. Lack of talent in general (23%) and within
BC (16%) was cited as the main barriers to recruitment by many respondent companies. The higher cost of living was also
mentioned by 17% of respondents as a barrier, as was the price of talent (14%).
The perception of some companies that a hiring barrier for BC is a lack of talent suggests that the quality of academic and
technical training institutions should be further explored. Co‐operative education programs, internships and up‐to‐date
curricula are needed if BC is going to maintain a leadership position in the technology industry.
A positive finding is that BC is not perceived as lacking in opportunity or technical excellence.
Specific comments in the “Other” category included the following:
• Problems with the government classifications for new media companies
• Lack of understanding of the benefits of co‐operative entrepreneurship
• Poor academia/industry communication
• Lack of stability in the BC technology industry owing to the high percentage of small/micro businesses
• Difficulty attracting people to areas of BC outside the Lower Mainland, particularly because most of the academic
institutions are based there
BC Technology Industry Association Page 16
January 2008
20. Q. Please select the key job attributes that you are looking for in
your difficult hiring position.
30.00%
25.00%
20.00%
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%
The responses to the “Other” field focused predominantly on the value of relevant experience. A third of respondents
stated that they were looking for experience rather than a particular qualification. This was especially true for programming
positions; several respondents commented that programming experience and willingness to learn are considerably more
important than a formal qualification. Other respondents stated that they are looking for broad industry experience,
relevant skills and the right attitude.
Management positions featured extensively in the list of difficult hires, totalling almost a quarter of the positions named.
Again, companies were looking for extensive experience in these roles, with a quarter of respondents looking for at least
three years’ work experience and just over one‐fifth of respondents looking for more than five years’ work experience.
ICT New Media Engineering Life Sciences
Technical
44% 59% 22% 54%
Certificate/ Diploma
Technical Degree 44% 31% 54% 41%
Masters‐Level
12% 10% 17% 5%
Degree/MBA
A few differences occur across the sectors. Companies within the Engineering sector are the most likely to seek higher
qualifications, such as a technical degree (54%), compared to those in the Information and Communications (44%) and New
Media (31%) sectors.
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January 2008
21. Management Experience # %
Team Lead 48 23.1%
Middle Management 17 8.2%
Executive Management 2 1.0%
2 to 3 years Work Experience 31 14.9%
3 to 5 years Work Experience 49 23.6%
5 to 10 years Work Experience 46 22.1%
More than 10 years Work Experience 11 5.3%
Other, Please Specify 4 1.9%
Responses reflect the ongoing challenge faced by the BC technology industry in recruiting experienced talent to senior,
management and executive positions.
SKILLS
A number of the skills that were rated most highly by respondents reflect the increasingly collaborative and team‐driven
nature of the modern workplace. The most highly rated skill, selected by almost a quarter of respondents, was the ability to
work in teams and collaborate with others. Interpersonal skills, which play an essential role in teamwork, were also rated
highly at almost 18%, and the willingness to share knowledge and mentor others was emphasized by 15% of respondents.
These skills play an essential role in fostering an open, collaborative workplace where workers share their ideas and
experience and work together to develop creative and innovative solutions to problems.
In addition to teamwork and collaboration skills, the ability to handle stressful situations such as time crunches and short
delivery cycles was named as an essential skill by almost one‐fifth of respondents. This is a reflection of the qualities
BC Technology Industry Association Page 20
January 2008
22. required in the highly demanding technology industry, where companies are under constant pressure to create better
products and bring them to market faster than their competitors, which are frequently US companies with access to far
larger capital markets than BC companies.
Skills # %
Ability to Work in Teams and Collaborate with Others 137 22.9%
Ability to Handle Stressful Situations (for Example, Time Crunches) 111 18.6%
Strong Interpersonal Skills 104 17.4%
Ability to Share Knowledge and Mentor Others 92 15.4%
English as a First Language 64 10.7%
Sense of Humour 60 10.0%
Other, Please Specify 17 2.8%
English as a Second Language 13 2.2%
Responses to the “Other” field were wide‐ranging. Several respondents cited self‐motivation and the ability to work
unsupervised, reflecting the growing movement toward telecommuting. Others named organizational skills, leadership
skills, creativity in troubleshooting and problem solving, and understanding of the global markets.
The skills that employers are seeking reflect the nature of the modern worker: highly‐motivated, able to think on their feet,
and aware of the global marketplace in which twenty‐first‐century businesses operate. These are the skills that employers
have come to expect in the modern high‐tech worker, and these are the skills that BC industry leaders are looking for to
drive the future growth and success of their companies.
BC Technology Industry Association Page 21
January 2008
24. Services Provided # %
Q. As a sole entrepreneur, what types of services do you typically provide? (Choose all that apply)
Design Services 31 47.7%
Marketing and/or Public Relations 20 30.8%
Technical Writing 14 21.5%
IT/Network Support 13 20.0%
Product Development or Product Management 11 16.9%
Engineering Services 10 15.4%
Management Consulting 9 13.8%
Sales, Business or Channel Development 9 13.8%
Intellectual/Property Management 6 9.2%
Software Development 5 7.7%
Supply Chain Management 1 1.5%
*Note: Figures may add up to more than 100% owing to multiple responses
EXPECTATION TO HIRE
When asked about the number of additional FTE hires, close to an equal number of entrepreneurs cited that they expect to
hire additional FTE(s) as those that planning to remain sole entrepreneurs. While just over half (55%) of sole entrepreneurs
are expecting to remain one‐person companies over the next two years, many are planning to expand and hire one (22%) or
more (23%) FTEs. This growth may have an impact on future labour strategies and is a key area where further research is
required.
# of forecast FTE hires in next 24 months # %
How many FTE employees are you planning to hire within the next 24 months?
Zero 33 55.0%
One 13 21.7%
Two 5 8.3%
Three or More 9 15.0%
In summary, sole entrepreneurs provide a significant base of support for the technology industry in BC (15% of the total
technology industry headcount), and offer a number of valuable nearsourced services to the broad BC technology industry.
More importantly, they are a substantial funnel for growing new, larger enterprises in the sector.
However, the predominance of sole entrepreneurship does create potential challenges for the technology industry’s labour
strategies, particularly with respect to productivity. For example, many entrepreneurs are ill‐equipped to handle larger
projects. One way to potentially overcome this challenge is to facilitate collaboration among sole entrepreneurs working in
the same or similar service areas.
BC Technology Industry Association Page 23
January 2008
25. S ECTION 2 – R ECRUITMENT AND R ETENTION S TRATEGIES AND T ACTICS
In line with the labour demand forecasted above, the 2007 TechTalentBC study also delved into the various sources and
strategies used for labour recruitment, as well as strategies and tactics for labour retention.
RECRUITMENT
As BC is unable to supply all of the positions required in the short term, a key potential source of labour is recruitment from
other jurisdictions in North America and abroad. To understand the potential for recruitment outside BC, respondents were
asked where they are currently recruiting FTEs by region, country, province and city.
RECRUITMENT BY JURISDICTION
BC Canada USA Europe Asia World
% of Workforce % % % % % %
Q. What percentage of your workforce have you recruited from the following jurisdictions?
0% 0% 11% 25% 25% 45% 33%
1 to 24% 2% 73% 70% 66% 52% 63%
25 to 49% 4% 9% 2% 4% 3% 2%
50 to 74% 9% 2% 2% 4% 0% 2%
75 to 99% 46% 4% 2% 2% 0% 0%
100% 40% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
BC Technology Industry Association Page 24
January 2008
27.
BY COUNTRY
COUNTRY # of Respondents % of Respondents
Q. Are there specific provinces, cities or countries where you focus your recruiting? (Please list up to five)
Canada 132 80.0%
USA 14 8.5%
UK 10 6.1%
Australia 3 1.8%
Germany 2 1.2%
China 1 0.6%
Eastern Bloc 1 0.6%
France 1 0.6%
Mexico 1 0.6%
In addition to the regions, respondents were asked about their recruiting patterns from specific countries. Again, it was
found that they overwhelmingly recruit from within Canada. Few companies (less than 10%) are recruiting outside North
America. Less than 10% of FTEs are from the US (9%) or the UK (6%), the most common countries for recruitment outside
Canada. Companies reported that less than 2% of FTEs are recruited from the other countries included in the survey.
These results suggest that language and culture may play a role in selecting the geographic areas where companies look to
recruit. As well, it is likely that the ability of most BC companies to effectively search the world for top talent is very limited.
BY PROVINCE
PROVINCE # of Respondents % of Respondents
BC 80 48.5%
Alberta 23 13.9%
Ontario 13 7.9%
Quebec 5 3.0%
Saskatchewan 5 3.0%
Manitoba 1 0.6%
New Brunswick 1 0.6%
Newfoundland 1 0.6%
Prince Edward Island 1 0.6%
The above table shows the respondents’ recruitment patterns by Canadian province. By far, BC is the most popular province
for recruitment within Canada, with almost half of respondents drawing their workforces from within the province,
followed by Alberta (14%) and Ontario (8%). Few respondents are recruiting from the other provinces.
In line with previous results, Vancouver is by far the most popular city for recruitment, named by 15% of respondents.
Overall, nearly one‐fifth of respondents named Vancouver or the Lower Mainland as their key recruiting areas, followed by
Toronto (7%) and Calgary (4%). Only 2% of respondents recruit from Victoria and the Capital Region.
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January 2008