Approximately three thousand businesses across British Columbia participated in the 2009 BC Wage and Salary Survey. This project was undertaken in partnership with the Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development (ALMD). Funding was made possible through the Labour Market Information initiative under the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Agreement (LMA), which is administered for B.C. by ALMD.

Statistics Canada conducted the survey on behalf of BC Stats and ALMD in the spring and summer of 2009. From March through June, B.C. businesses with ten or more employees were contacted in order to complete the survey. The sample was drawn from the Statistics Canada Business Register, which is a list of all establishments in Canada.

The purpose of the survey was to provide British Columbians with up-to-date wage and salary information to enable employers to recruit and retain employees, and to enable job seekers to make informed education and career decisions. The survey produced information on part-time and full-time wages, hours of work, hiring difficulties, and vacancies for 112 of the province’s most common occupations. In B.C.’s three largest economic regions (Vancouver Island/Coast, Mainland/Southwest, and Thompson/Okanagan), the top 100 occupations were targeted, and in the five remaining regions (Kootenay, Cariboo, North Coast, Nechako, and Northeast), the top 35 occupations were targeted.

The occupation codes and their descriptions used in this survey are based on the National Occupational Classification (NOC) framework, which is maintained and updated by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC). Additional information about the survey itself can be found in the Survey Methodology Reports and Analysis Documents.

This website provides detailed occupational information on wage rates, hours of work, and skills shortages. Where available, the results are presented for B.C. overall, and separately for each of B.C.’s development regions. To view the results, please click “Search”.