The province’s technology sector has weathered the global downturn and will create thousands of new jobs in the coming year, according to the latest survey of B.C. tech companies.
A BC Technology Industry Association (BCTIA) report says that technology companies in B.C. expect to generate at least 3,000 new jobs this year, up more than 5% from the year before.
The biggest demand will be for software and hardware engineers, customer support staff, technical managers and sales and marketing staff.
“Our industry has added back all of the jobs lost in the downturn and has returned to peak employment levels,” said BCTIA president and CEO Bill Tam. “We’re now ready to set the course for the next decade, driving new records for industry employment and revenues.”
He added, “This robust job growth shows the resilience of B.C.’s technology sector.”
TechTalentBC, a bi-annual BCTIA survey of B.C. technology companies, shows that respondents increased their number of employees by more than 12% between September 2010 and September 2011.
Those same companies predict a need for at least 3,000 and potentially as many as 4,000 new employees between now and September 2012.
The BCTIA noted there are more than 8,000 companies in the B.C. technology sector, and more than 16,000 sole entrepreneurs. More than 80,000 people work in the sector, which has created more than 20,000 jobs during the past decade.
“The tech sector now employs more British Columbians than the forestry, mining and oil and gas sectors combined,” said Tam.
“These are clean, knowledge-based jobs offering high salaries that attract skilled workers from across B.C and from around the world.”
