British Columbia Sector Profile: Educational Services
NAICS 61
- Workforce characteristics
- Main occupations
- Occupation of interest: Elementary school and kindergarten teachers (NOC 41221)
Highlights
- In 2022, there were 201,400 workers employed in the education sector in British Columbia, representing 7.3% of total provincial employment.
- British Columbia's education sector workforce is concentrated in the Lower Mainland – Southwest economic region (64.9% of employment).
- Most workers in this sector are female (69.8%) and work full-time (71.4%).
- Growth in enrolment and teacher shortages are expected to support moderate to good demand for workers in educational services through 2024.
About the Sector
Composition and importance of the sector
British Columbia's education sector is made up of institutions at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. The sector is composed of seven industry groups. As of December 2022, employment was distributed across:
- Elementary & secondary schools (52.0%)
- Universities (24.6%)
- Other schools and instruction (13.6%)
- Community colleges (7.8%)
- Educational support services (1.3%)
- Technical and trade schools (0.7%)
Employment numbers for the business schools industry group were suppressed in December 2022.
In 2022, the sector contributed to:
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey; Statistics Canada Table: 36-10-0402-01 (GDP at basic prices, chained 2012 dollars); Statistics Canada Table: 36-10-0400-01 (GDP at basic prices, current dollars)
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Geographical distribution of employment
As of 2022, educational employment throughout the province was centered in the metropolitan regions of the province: the Lower Mainland-Southwest (64.9%) and Vancouver Island and Coast (16.7%). The Thompson-Okanagan (10.2%), Cariboo (2.7%), Kootenay (2.7%), Northeast (1.1%) and the North Coast and Nechako (1.1%) represented the remainder of employment. [1] This employment distribution is similar to overall distribution of British Columbia's population.
Workforce
Workforce characteristics
In 2022, there were 201,400 workers employed in British Columbia's education sector. The majority of those employed in the sector were employed full-time (143,800 workers or 71.4%), while the remaining 57,600 (28.6%) were employed part-time. [2] Women remained significantly overrepresented within the education sector, making up 69.8% of the workforce. [3] Young workers aged 15-24 made up 10.7% of the workforce in British Columbia's education sector, while older workers aged 55 and older represented 23.1% of the sector's employment. [4]
Of those employed in 2022:
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, ESDC custom table
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Main occupations
Within educational services, most workers are in teaching or teaching assistant occupations. The most common occupation as of January 2023 was Secondary and elementary school teachers and educational counsellors (12.4%) while Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants was second (10.1%). The next largest groups were Elementary school and kindergarten teachers (9.4%); College and other vocational instructors (7.7%); and University professors and lecturers (6.5%). [5]
Occupation of interest: Elementary school and kindergarten teachers (NOC 41221)
Elementary school and kindergarten teachers teach basic subjects like reading, writing and arithmetic or specialized subjects like English or French as a second language. More than 95% are employed by public and private elementary schools.
At $36.54/hour, the median wage in British Columbia is lower than the national median of $41.21/hour. The highest median wage in the province is $38.46 in both the Nechako and North Coast regions. The lowest median wage is $35.52/hour in the Lower Mainland-Southwest region.
To be employed in this occupation, a bachelor's degree in education and a provincial teaching certificate is required. Additional training is needed for special education, or second language instruction.
The outlook for employment from 2022-2024 is good for elementary school and kindergarten teachers in British Columbia. Additional occupational information can be found here.
Elementary School and Kindergarten Teacher Employment in British Columbia
Note: Figures shown are employment estimates
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, ESDC custom table
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Year
Employment
2012
19,900
2013
18,500
2014
22,000
2015
19,700
2016
19,500
2017
24,500
2018
21,700
2019
26,500
2020
21,100
2021
23,800
2022
19,300
Recent History
A large proportion of the sector's employment is made up of elementary and secondary school teachers, and the demand for these teachers has been high. Throughout the province there is a general shortage of teachers, with concerns that the high cost of living and lower salaries are driving the shortfall. [6] The labour market for British Columbia's education sector remains tight, with an unemployment rate of 3.4% in 2022. [7] At the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year the B.C. Teachers Federation (BCTF), British Columbia's main teachers' union, warned of a shortage of staff. The union cited the COVID-19 pandemic and the high stress work environment as factors leading some teachers to consider a career switch. [8] The shortage of teachers in the province has led to the hiring of uncertified teachers, raising concerns from both those in the industry as well as parents. [9] In an effort to help alleviate the shortage of teachers, the union and the province signed a new collective agreement that significantly raises compensation for teachers in the province. [10]
Top Subsectors by Employment
Note: Figures shown are employment estimates
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, ESDC custom table
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Year
Elementary
& SecondaryUniversities
Other schools
& instruction
2012
90,700
36,000
22,400
2013
88,800
37,200
20,800
2014
95,200
32,300
22,400
2015
94,700
36,800
21,700
2016
93,700
37,200
24,600
2017
94,400
37,300
25,800
2018
84,400
36,700
30,500
2019
98,600
30,800
31,700
2020
99,400
32,100
24,000
2021
98,600
41,700
23,700
2022
104,700
49,600
27,400
The provincial government has focused on improving British Columbia's education system through a number of measures. During the 2021-2022 school year the average classroom size was 22.5 students, a decrease from 23.5 during the 2015-2016 school year. [11] One of the larger capital expenditure projects being undertaken to improve the province's school system is the Seismic Mitigation Program. This program assesses and rebuilds schools in seismically at-risk areas of the province to meet current building codes. The province has spent $1.9 billion on new and upgraded facilities for students and staff, with 496 projects part of the program as of February 2023. [12]
Educational Services Employment
Note: Figures shown are employment estimates. Totals may not add to 100% due to rounding.
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, ESDC custom table
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Year
Employment (Total)
Full-time
Part-time
2012
167,400
116,600
50,700
2013
165,400
111,200
54,100
2014
167,300
115,000
52,300
2015
170,300
123,700
46,500
2016
172,300
119,300
53,000
2017
172,400
122,000
50,500
2018
168,700
117,200
51,500
2019
177,100
123,800
53,300
2020
173,200
121,400
51,800
2021
185,700
129,000
56,700
2022
201,400
143,800
57,600
British Columbia's higher education, made up of its universities and colleges, forms the second largest part of the province's education sector. Higher education has been expanding in the province, with the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University growing their secondary campuses. The Government of British Columbia is providing over $4.9 million in funding to Simon Fraser University to support the development of a new medical school at its Surrey campus. The university is targeting its first student intake by September 2026. [13] The province has been working to expand its medical training programs amid shortages in that sector. Medical schools in Prince George, Kelowna, Victoria, and Vancouver are increasing the number of seats for medical students to ease physician shortages in the province. [14] The University of British Columbia also plans to expand its Okanagan campus in Kelowna with new academic spaces for learning and research, a simulated hospital ward, an art gallery, and a 500-unit residential tower for students, faculty, and staff. [15]
Employment Outlook
Funding for K-12 education by the British Columbia government rose 8.7% in the 2023 budget to $8.0 billion. The increase is intended to respond to rising student enrolment and includes additional support for classroom expenses. New spending includes funding to expand K-12 school food programs and for new schools and seismic upgrades. [16] The B.C. Teachers Federation welcomed the government's committing to fully funding the recently signed collective agreement with teachers while suggesting that that allocated funding would still be inadequate to recruit and retain the necessary staff. [17]
In November 2022, members of the B.C. Teachers Federation ratified a new collective agreement that provides both significant salary increases and improved working conditions. Under the new agreement, teachers in British Columbia will rise from some of the lowest paid to be among the top paid teachers in Canada. [18] This agreement is expected to support attraction of new teachers to respond to growth in student enrolment and to make up for current shortages. The need for teachers in some areas has become so acute that districts are seeking uncertified teachers to provide coverage. [19], [20] Further growth in teacher numbers will likely be necessary as the 0-14 year age group is forecast to increase 2.9% from 2021 to 2024 while the 15-19 year group is expected to grow 13.1% for this period in British Columbia. [21]
Post-secondary enrolment in British Columbia has also been rising, increasing demand for employment in post-secondary education. Total post-secondary enrolment was up 3.4% to over 287,000 students from 2016-17 to 2020-21, despite a drop from the pre-COVID peak of 295,320 in 2018-19. This growth was driven by an increase of 26.3% in international students while enrolment of Canadians at British Columbian institutions declined 1.7% from 2016-17. [22] Post-secondary enrolment should also be supported by an additional commitment by the British Columbia government of $151 million over three years for student financial aid. [23]
Job vacancies in educational services grew from 2.1% in Q3 2021 to 2.4% in Q3 2022. While vacancies also increased nationally, the rate in British Columbia was 0.5 percentage points higher than the 1.9% national vacancy rate for this sector. [24]
Endnotes
-
Statistics Canada. Table 14-10-0392-01 Employment by industry, annual (x 1,000). ↑
-
Statistics Canada. Table 14-10-0023-01 Labour force characteristics by industry, annual (x 1,000). ↑
-
Ibid. ↑
-
Ibid. ↑
-
Statistics Canada (April 2023). Labour Force Survey estimates (LFS), by detailed occupation (NOC 5 digits), industry groups (NAICS 2 digits) and gender (special tabulation). ↑
-
Global News (September 7, 2022). B.C. teacher shortage has some districts looking for non-certified substitutes. ↑
-
Statistics Canada. Table 14-10-0023-01 Labour force characteristics by industry, annual. ↑
-
CBC News (September 3, 2022). B.C. teachers' union warns of possible staff shortages this school year. ↑
-
CBC News (November 12, 2022). District's job ad seeking uncertified teachers sparks urgent calls to solve B.C.'s shortage of classroom staff. ↑
-
CBC News (October 31, 2022). B.C. teachers set for big pay bump after reaching tentative contract agreement with province. ↑
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Government of British Columbia (September 1, 2022). Education by the numbers. ↑
-
Government of British Columbia. Seismic Mitigation Program (Accessed 2023-02-15). ↑
-
Government of British Columbia (November 28, 2022). New SFU medical school moves forward to train family doctors of tomorrow. ↑
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Terrace Standard (January 7, 2023). B.C. adds doctor training spaces in bid to ease northern shortage. ↑
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University of British Columbia (June 29, 2022). Bold new plans unveiled for UBCO Downtown. ↑
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Government of British Columbia (February 28, 2023). Budget and Fiscal Plan 2023/24 – 2025/26. ↑
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BC Teachers Federation (February 28, 2022) BC Budget 2023 a missed opportunity to address teacher shortage, invest in future leaders. ↑
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CBC News (November 30, 2022). B.C. teachers ratify contract agreement with province. ↑
-
CBC News (November 12, 2022). District's job ad seeking uncertified teachers sparks urgent calls to solve B.C.'s shortage of classroom staff. ↑
-
Global News (September 7, 2022). B.C. teacher shortage has some districts looking for non-certified substitutes. ↑
-
Statistics Canada (October 13, 2022). Population projections for Canada, provinces and territories: Interactive dashboard (M1 scenario). ↑
-
Statistics Canada (November 22, 2022). Table 37-10-0018-01 Postsecondary enrolments, by registration status, institution type, status of student in Canada and gender. ↑
-
Government of British Columbia (February 28, 2023). Budget and Fiscal Plan 2023/24 – 2025/26. ↑
-
Statistics Canada (December 19, 2022). Job vacancies, payroll employees, job vacancy rate, and average offered hourly wage by industry sector, quarterly, unadjusted for seasonality. ↑
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