Businesses in British Columbia have a higher rate of job openings per capita than the national average, according to a Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) report released March 12.
Businesses in the province had a job vacancy rate of 2.6% at the end of 2013 – slightly higher than the national average of 2.5%. In total, the survey found 39,000 unfilled jobs in B.C.
Across Canada, the CFIB found there were 295,700 vacant jobs.
“It’s not as simple as matching any unemployed Canadian with any job opening. Often, the people and the jobs are at opposite ends of the country,” said CFIB chief economist and vice-president Ted Mallett.
“And for highly specialized jobs, it becomes that much harder to find the people with the right skills and experience.”
The survey found that Alberta and Saskatchewan had the highest rate of unfilled jobs, both with vacancy rates of 3.7%.
The industry with the highest rate of job vacancies was personal services, at 4.1%. This is followed by construction, with a rate of 3.8%.
The CFIB surveys members of private-sector organizations to determine the number of job openings, which are defined as positions that remain unfilled for at least four months due to the company being unable to find qualified employees. Those surveyed report several reasons why jobs can’t be filled beyond just not finding candidates with appropriate skill sets. It may be difficult to find employees who would fit in with the organization or are willing to work irregular hours.
Statistics Canada estimated a Canada-wide job vacancy rate of 1.5% at the end of November. The CFIB said its numbers differ because StatsCan includes public-sector positions, while CFIB figures include only private-sector businesses.
