British Columbia’s acute labour shortage challenges both employers and job seekers. Employers struggling to find workers must adapt to the needs and expectations of job seekers to attract and retain talent. Job seekers, however, are struggling to secure employment despite the myriad opportunities available.
Building labour force capacity and resiliency is a top concern for BC Chamber of Commerce members across the province.
That is why we are undertaking a trailblazing project to address the labour market gap between employers and job seekers.
Your participation in this project will help us to better understand the needs of both employers and job seekers, identify appropriate solutions to improve and innovate employment practices and inform future program and public policy decisions in B.C.
This project will be conducted in two phases, from January 2023 to January 2024:
Phase 1: Addressing the Labour Market Gap Survey
The Addressing the Labour Market Gap survey collected the views of 812 employers and 1225 job seekers between February 7 and March 3, 2023.
Thank you to the individuals who participated in this phase. Read the results in the Addressing the Labour Market Gap Insights Report | May 2023 ➜
Phase 2: Engagement and Solution-building
Phase 2, which ran from April 2023 to January 2024, comprised a series of in-person and virtual community engagement sessions with the BC Chamber of Commerce network, businesses, professional associations, as well as WorkBC and human resource organizations, from across the province, to explore potential solutions.
Thank you to the individuals who participated in this phase. Read the results in the Addressing the Labour Market Gap Phase 2 Proposed Solutions Report | January 2024 ➜
Download the Regional Handouts below:
- Cariboo - download here
- Kootenay - download here
- Mainland/Southwest - download here
- North Coast & Nechako - download here
- Northeast - download here
- Thompson/Okanagan - download here
- Vancouver Island/Coast - download here
Phase 3: Empowering Employers with HR Tools and Resources
In Phase 3, we move from identifying challenges to offering real solutions. Drawing from the insights of BC Chamber of Commerce members in Phases 1 and 2, we've created a set of HR tools and resources to help employers attract, retain, and manage talent more effectively. These resources focus on improving key HR practices like hiring, onboarding, retention, and workforce management, all aimed at closing the labour market gap.
Our goal is to provide employers with practical strategies and tools that can be applied right away to address today's workforce challenges.
Download the HR Resources below:
- HR Resource 1: 10 Reasons to Invest in a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) - download here
- HR Resource 2: HR Education for Small Businesses - download here
- HR Resource 3: Best Practices for Job Descriptions - download here
- HR Resource 4: HR Best Practices for Small Businesses - download here
- HR Resource 5: Essential HR Tools for Small Businesses - download here
- HR Resource 6: Unlock the Benefits of Job-Sharing in Your Business - download here
- HR Resource 7: Best Recruitment Practices: Interviews & Onboarding - download here
- HR Resource 8: Performance Management - download here
- HR Resource 9: Termination Process - download here
Questions?
Click here to refer to the FAQs.
If you have additional questions not answered in the FAQ, please contact the BC Chamber of Commerce at [email protected].
This project is funded by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction and led by the BC Chamber of Commerce.
