Labour Market Resources
Transitioning from being a student to a working professional does not have to increase your anxiety even in times of uncertainty as the ones we are living through, with the global pandemic heavily impacting the economy.
Research the demands in your field, the occupations and industries with the brightest outlook and you will have a clearer picture of the business environment you are stepping into as a future graduate, and easily identify gaps in your skills set.
If you have questions, comments or are interested in finding more, make an appointment with the Student Success Coach and let's start the conversation.
Labour Market Outlook
B.C. is expected to have 861,000 job openings between 2019 and 2029. Over three-quarters of these job openings will require some form of post-secondary education and training.
Source: BC Good Jobs Report 2020
Select your field of study below for labour market information specific to your career path
Human Resources
Source: BC Labour Market Outlook 2019
Experienced human resources specialists continue to be in high demand in British Columbia, remaining on the list of High Opportunity Occupations 2019.
Taking advantage of mentoring programs such as the annual Professional Mentoring Program, with CPHR BC or getting involved with your student association Kwantlen Human Resources Association will increase your chances to employment.
Prepare to Succeed
Key Soft Skills
- Communication skills (written and verbal)
- Comfortable with change, flexible
- Time management
- Interpersonal skills, teamwork
- Analytical skills
- Planning and organizational skills
- Leadership
Key Professional and Technology Skills
- Occupational Health & Safety
- Project Management
- MS Office: Excel, Word, Pivot Tables
- HRIS, SAP and Payroll
- Google Drive and SharePoint
- Online conferencing and social media
*Entry-level Jobs & Salaries | BC
| HR Assistant | $42,300 - $53,800 |
| Recruitment Specialist | $41,250 – $49,750 |
| HR Administrator | $40,000 - $47,994 |
| Benefits clerk | $39,800 – $ 46,400 |
*entry level are jobs that require 0 – 3 years of experience
Professional Association
Human Resources is not a regulated profession in BC, which means that there are no mandatory requirements for licensing before practising. However, majority of employers prefer to hire employees that are either working towards or have their CPHR designation.
Job Search Websites
Sources: www.payscale.com; WorkBC; Robert Half Salary Guide 2021; Randstadt Salary Guide 2021
Marketing
With a large remote work still in play, skills that are in demand include a wide range of digital skills, a heightened level of communication skills, marketing and e-commerce, and social media expertise.
Digital marketing has become a must for companies wanting to survive during the pandemic. Excellent writing skills are also in demand since online communication relies on the written word: websites, webpages, marketing materials, etc. There are endless career opportunities in marketing and communications!
Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations are considered High Opportunity Occupations 2019 list with over 3,000 job openings to 2029.
Prepare to Succeed
Key Soft Skills
- Communication Skills (written and verbal)
- Teamwork and interpersonal skills
- English - high proficiency in grammar, spelling, vocabulary
- Attention to detail
- Planning and organizational skills
- Customer Service
Key Professional and Technology Skills
- Digital Marketing and Marketing Strategy
- Data driven analytical skills
- MS Office: Excel, Word, PowerPoint
- Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
- Google Analytics
- WordPress
- Knowledgeable and on top of new trends
*Entry-level Jobs & Salaries | BC
| Marketing Specialist | $45,000 - $55,000 |
| Junior Brand Manager | $36,000 – $42,750 |
| Social Media Manager | $48,200 - $55,640 |
| Content Writer | $35,800 – $ 46,400 |
*entry level are jobs that require 0 – 3 years of experience
What’s in Demand
Positions: Digital Marketing Specialist, Social Media Manager, Marketing Representative, Search Engine Optimization Specialist
Digital content Coordinator, Writing Consultant, Podcaster, Blogger
Skills: Product Marketing, Digital Strategy, Brand Management
Video Editing, Creative Writing, Public Speaking
Credentials: 94% of hires have a Bachelor’s degree Source: LinkedIn Data & Insights
Professional Association
This is not a regulated profession; however, to keep up with the industry:
Job Search Websites
Sources: www.payscale.com; WorkBC, Robert Half Salary Guide 2021, Randstadt Salary Guide 2021
Entrepreneurial Leadership
Career Options after BBA in Entrepreneurship
One of the great advantages of graduating with a BBA in Entrepreneurship is that there are so many career paths one could pursue or even create while building their own business or improving processes and services for employers. This pandemic has proven the importance of employing professionals that can come up with creative solutions to last minute changes coming from government or health authorities.
Employment Options
- Create/own a business or social enterprise
- Help an existing organization by becoming an innovative employee
- Become an advisor or consultant
Source: payscale.com
Business Consultant and Management Consultants
Source: Worxica
Prepare to Succeed
Key Soft Skills
- Communication skills (written and verbal)
- Teamwork and interpersonal skills
- Leadership
- Planning and organizational skills
- Customer service and problem solving
Key Professional and Technology Skills
- Business analysis
- Risk Management
- Change Management
- MS Office, ERP and CRM software
Helpful Certifications
Related Job Opportunities - Management Consultants
- ISO consultant
- Business management consultant
- Business methods analyst
- Consultant, organizational analysis
- Health information management consultant
Average Salary in BC
$64,000 - $75,000
Global Trends
- Global management consulting services market is expected to grow from $819.79 billion in 2020 to $895.46 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.2%
- The market is expected to reach $1201.06 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 8%.
Professional Association
This is not a regulated profession but you might want to become a member of:
- Canadian Association for Management Professionals (CMC-Canada)
Resources for Young Entrepreneurs in BC
- Small Business BC
- Offers a wealth of resources and guides with important tips and tools for business planning, market research and so much more
- Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)
- Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
- Provides a number of services and information about setting up a business in Canada and provide step by step guides for certain industries
- Royal Bank: Starting a Business Guide
- Women’s Enterprise Center – non-profit organization that helps women launch their own business; great resources, training and advice
- Futurepreneur.ca – Non-profit organization helping Canadians 18 – 39 become business owners with loan financing, mentoring and business resources
- BC Government: Small Business Resources
Job Search Websites:
Sources: https://worxica.com/; WorkBC; https://payscale.com; Robert Half Salary Guide 2021, Randstadt Salary Guide 2021
Accounting
Business, finance and administration sector is projected to have the second largest number of openings in the next 10 years.
Chartered Accountants are in high demand in British Columbia with over 11,000 projected job openings as forecasted by the BC Government. Financial auditors and accountants are listed as the third high opportunity occupations in the BC Good Job Report 2019.
Prepare to Succeed
Key Soft Skills
- Communication Skills (written and verbal)
- Comfortable with change, flexible
- Customer Service
- Analytical, critical and problem solving skills
- Outstanding work ethic
- Knowledge of industry trends and terminology
- Creativity and innovation
Key Technology Skills
- Advanced Excel
- Sage 300
- Oracle Database, MySQL, MS Access
- SAP, Oracle. MS Dynamics
- QuickBooks
- Team Management Software: MS Teams, Zoom, Citrix
*Entry-level Jobs & Salaries | BC
| Accountant | $28.5 - $55.6 |
| Accounting Clerk | $18.75 - $42.1 |
| Accounting payable/receivable clerk | $18.75 - $41.2 |
| Billing specialist | $18.75 - $42.4 |
| Credit & collections accountant | $28.5 - $43.8 |
*entry level are jobs that require 0 – 3 years of experience
In-demand Positions in Finance & Accounting
- Accounts receivable clerk
- Accounts payable clerk
- Billing clerk
- Collection clerk
- Bookkeeper
- Business Analyst
- Controller
- Cost accountant
- Financial analyst
- Payroll manager
- Property accountant
Current Trends
- Salaries expected to remain stable for accounting professionals
- Remote work will stay, so technologically savvy professionals will be prioritized
- Unprecedented shift driving the need for professionals with excellent critical thinking skills that can communicate in writing and speaking effectively
- There is increasing demand for public accountants
- Increased need for corporate and industry accounting in these key industries:
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Technology
- Telecommunications
Professional Associations
Accounting is a regulated profession and, in order to work as a CPA, you need to register with Chartered Professional Accountants BC
Other Professional Associations Finance & Banking:
Information Technology
Computing and Information Technology (IT) is the fastest growing career field, due to a multitude of factors. The switch to a virtual business space accelerated the speed with which companies either upgraded or adopted new technology, forced companies to create new positions (such as cyber security specialists) and to invest in the development of new agile, intuitive new tools to analyze data and provide insight into quickly changing environments while generating accurate reporting.
2019- 2020 Year in Review:
- 3rd fastest growing sector in BC
- 10,900 tech companies across BC
- 160,000 Jobs in high tech companies (with 15,000+ opening each year)
- 100,000 tech jobs in non- high-tech companies
Source: BC Tech Association
Source: BC Techbase.com
Prepare to Succeed
Key Soft Skills
- Communication Skills (written and verbal)
#1 COMPLAINT FROM EMPLOYERS:
Junior IT professionals lack basic communication skills with colleagues, supervisors, other departments
- Leadership
- Planning
- Analytical, critical and problem solving skills
- Customer Service
- Teamwork
Key Professional and Technology Skills
Top 15 skills for an entry level IT position
Certifications
- CISCO Certifications: Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and/or Professional (CCNP)
- A+ Certificate
- Certified Computing Professional
*Entry-level Jobs & Salaries | BC
| Help Desk NOC 2282 (most common) | $25.13 – $27.00 |
| Database Analyst NOC2172 | $28.00 - $30.00 |
| Information Systems Analyst NOC 2171 | $27.00 - $38.00 |
| Web Designer NOC 2175 | $27.00 - $29.00 |
*entry level are jobs that require 0 – 3 years of experience
Source: Job Bank Canada Reports and PayScale
IT Career in High Demand: Cyber Security
There will be 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs by the end of 2021 worldwide — enough to fill 50 NFL stadiums — according to Cybersecurity Ventures.
The annual average salary of a cyber-security professional in Canada in 2021: $85,780 (source: neuvoo.ca)
50 Job Titles You Should Know in the Information Technology field
Career Videos
Other Related Resources
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WorkBC
Work BC is a reliable, up to date website that provides every job seeker with current information on the provincial economy, job trends, job search tips and employment programs available.
Talk to a Student Success Coach about how to use this information when looking for employment or to advance in your career.
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Worxica
A job market research tool, Worxica helps job seekers find skills and certifications local employers are looking for. "Who was hiring in Lower Mainland" or "How many jobs were posted in the last year in my field?" are just a couple of examples of what you can find here.
Our Student Success Coaches can show you when and how this type of information can help you during the job searching process.
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50 Ways to Get a Job
Take a tour of this virtual guide that aims to teach young job seekers how to build job searching skills for life. It is self-paced and depending on your level you could either start from the very beginning or jump in where you need help with. Either way, this is a great resource and we would love to hear your feedback.
Make an appointment with the Student Success Coach or email us at businessresume@kpu.ca