Job prospects Sales Assistant in British Columbia

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "sales assistant" in British Columbia or Canada.

Job opportunities in British Columbia

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be limited for Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers (NOC 64100) in British Columbia for the 2023-2025 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment decline will lead to the loss of some positions.
• A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

• Occupations in retail and wholesale trade continue to be in constant demand with high rates of turn over and some recruitment challenges. Overall employment however will be tied to consumer spending levels and the general health of the economy. Decreased consumer spending will be reflected in a lower demand for these occupations.

Here are some key facts about Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers in British Columbia:

• Approximately 84,650 people work in this occupation.
• Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Other retail stores (NAICS 44-45, except 445): 67%
  • Food and beverage stores (NAICS 445): 14%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 55% compared to 78% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 45% compared to 22% for all occupations
• 47% of retail salespersons and visual merchandisers work all year, while 53% work only part of the year, compared to 61% and 39% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 38 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
• 8% of retail salespersons and visual merchandisers are self-employed compared to an average of 17% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 44% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: 56% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: 12% compared to 8% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 47% compared to 28% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 8% compared to 13% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 15% compared to 17% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 14% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 12% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in British Columbia by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Labour market conditions over the next 10 years

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "sales assistant" Retail salespersons (NOC 64100) or Canada.

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