The BC Labour Market Report's

 

 

Labour Market Hot Sheet 

 

 

June 2, 2017
 
The value of BC's Tourism Sector
Research / Tourism
  
From May 28 to June 3, businesses, associations, and tourism organizations across the province celebrated Tourism Week. The tourism industry is a powerful force in British Columbia: approximately 19.7 million overnight visitors vacation in BC each year, contributing $15.7 billion in revenue annually to the provincial economy. Tourism touches every part of our province and has become one of BC's leading business sectors. This week is an important time to recognize not only the economic benefits this industry brings to British Columbia, but also the cultural and social contributions tourism delivers.
 
According to Destination BC, tourism contributes more to our GDP than any primary resource industry. In 2015, tourism contributed more to GDP ($7.4 billion) than any other primary resource industry including oil & gas extraction ($7.2 billion), mining ($3.8 billion), forestry & logging ($1.9 billion), and agriculture & fish ($1.5 billion).
 
Tourism in BC is growing. In 2015, the BC tourism industry generated $15.7 billion in revenue, a 5.3% increase over 2014, and a 37.3% increase from 2005. The industry's contribution in GDP to the provincial economy rose 5.6% in 2015 over 2014. Tourism is growing at almost twice the pace of the BC economy as a whole.
 
Tourism offers exciting and diverse careers. Ranging from first jobs to highly-skilled technical, managerial and professional roles, the tourism industry creates diverse careers: helicopter pilots, sommeliers, chefs, wildlife experts and more. In 2015, 127,700 people were employed in BC tourism-related businesses, a 1.2% increase over 2014 and a 16% increase since 2005. BC is home to over 18,900 tourism businesses, and the industry paid $4.5 billion in wages and salaries in 2015, up 4.0% from 2014 and 36.1% since 2005.
Advancing your career - what to do after attending a career fair or networking event
Career Development / Networking
  
You have taken the initiative to attend a career fair or networking event to give you a better perspective on how to handle your career and now you wonder where to go from there. The publication 'Canadian Immigrant' offers these five tips on how to move forward.
 
If you're job hunting, what you do after such a fair is almost more important than what you did there. Here are five of the most important things jobseekers need to do post-fair.
 
1. Get organized
 
The advantage of attending such events is that it provides you with the opportunity to make face-to-face connections with recruiters, decision makers in companies of interest and others who could become important contacts for you. Since you probably networked with several different people, it's important to stay organized to keep track of all your potential job leads.
 
Tips:
  • You'll want to create a document that keeps track of all the human resource recruiters and representatives you spoke with.
  • Make sure to include their business card information, and any notes you may have jotted down about your discussion, especially about specific job leads.
 
2. Do the follow up
 
You probably gathered as many business cards as you could, and now it's important to follow up with the contacts you met.
 
Tips:
  • Send out thank-you emails or make a professional phone call within 24 hours after the fair. Your name will hopefully be fresh in their mind and it also shows that you care.
  • Make sure any written follow up is well written and uses proper grammar.
  • Thank them for taking the time to speak to you during the event, remind them who you are and what you want from them.
  • Make sure to mention something specific from your conversation that they will hopefully remember you by.
 
 
3. Maintain the connection
 
Based on the person's response, you may want to send an email or note occasionally to touch base. If they are in a position to hire you, let them know you are interested if they will have anything open in the future.
 
Tips:
  • Don't make your follow up too casual if you're looking for a job. Go to the organization's website and find specific positions that you could apply to and mention that in your follow up.
  • Always let them know you are excited to pursue the position and work for the company.
  • If you don't see an open position, find out if there is an opportunity to volunteer or intern, or if there is some way for you to learn more about the company.
  • Make sure to only contact them in moderation, and let them know you are very interested.
 
4. Polish your profile
 
When you're reaching out to new connections, make sure you have somewhere to send them for more information, like a polished LinkedIn profile and resumé.
 
Tips:
  • Update your LinkedIn profile and resumé; make sure they reflect your most recent skills and experience. Connections you made at the event may follow up by trying to connect with you on LinkedIn.
  • Send an invitation to connect on LinkedIn with the recruiters and other connections you met at the fair.
 
5. Reflect on your experience
 
It is important to reflect on how you managed yourself so you can prepare and make any improvements at your next event.
 
Tips:
Ask yourself:
  • How well did I prepare for it?
  • Do I feel like I networked well?
  • Did I learn something about myself?
  • What went well?
  • What would I do differently next time?
Mental and Physical Health Suffers Under Strain of Debt: BC Consumer Debt Study Report
Optical Occupations / Retail
  
Sands & Associates, BC's largest firm of Licensed Insolvency Trustees, released the results of their fifth annual BC Consumer Debt Study today. The 2017 BC Consumer Debt Study provides an in-depth look at consumers' debt levels, the factors causing individuals' financial difficulties, with additional insights into the psychological and physical impacts of debt on consumers.
  
The 2017 BC Consumer Debt Study highlighted several findings, including:
  • The largest proportion of survey respondents carried between $25,000 and $49,999 worth of unsecured debt (excluding vehicle loans and mortgages) at the time they sought assistance for their debts.
  • Only making minimum payments, and/or accumulating more debt were the top two warning signs that made respondents realize their debts were becoming a problem.
  • More than half of participants (53%) stated that they cut expenses as a measure to deal with their debts; one in four individuals attempted to reduce their housing costs or rent.
  • When asked how often they found themselves worrying about debts or general finances, 63% of those surveyed said "the worry was constant".
  • Virtually all participants (97%) reported that their debts caused them to experience some type of ill-effect symptom, including general sadness, discouragement, fear, panic, anxiety.
  • Over one-quarter (28%) of overall survey participants said that they suffered from diagnosed depression, contributed to by being in debt.
  • More than 1 in 6 respondents (18%) said their financial difficulties caused them to experience feelings of suicide, or contemplate suicide as a solution. This was the highest amongst the "Youth Generation", with more than 20% of respondents aged 30 or younger experiencing these sentiments.
Licensed Insolvency Trustee and Vice-President of Sands & Associates, Blair Mantin, notes: "One of the starkest findings of this study is the real cost of debt to a person's well-being. To have one-fifth of our youngest demographic having feelings of suicide as a solution to their financial situation is truly alarming. We need to stop pointing fingers and shaming people about their debts -- it's time for a real conversation about debt, its impact, and the solutions that exist".
 
Mantin adds, "People are often more comfortable discussing nearly any other personal topic besides their finances, consequently there is a sort of myth that having debt is a sign of failure, when it is often a fact of life in the world we live in. We need to continue to expand dialogues surrounding consumer debt issues and their direct impact on mental health."
 
The 2017 BC Consumer Debt Study by Sands & Associates is the only BC-specific study to gather and analyze responses from over 1,300 individuals throughout the province, to take a closer look at the financial challenges faced, strategies adopted, and consequential symptoms experienced by indebted British Columbians.
 
For more information about Sands & Associates and the 2017 BC Consumer Debt Study, visit www.sands-trustee.com. Read the full report in PDF format: Please Click Here
 
This Week in Social Media
Please take the time to 'like' or follow:


JobLinx: 10 Tricky Job Interview Questions That Drive Job Seekers Crazy
 
Employment Solutions: Changing Workplaces law should bridge the gaps in worker protection and ensure that everyone is paid a decent wage! (Click Here)  
  
Funding: Canada Post is encouraging Aboriginals to apply for their 2017 Aboriginal Incentive Awards.   (Click Here)

GTHiringBlog: Construction & Manufacturing Employer Info Session in #Chilliwack May 25! Check out the poster and we'll see you at our Downtown Centre! (Click Here)

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Community Calendar
Career Development Events

PitchMasters |  Drop in and Test Your Elevator Pitch
with Christian Saint Cyr, author, BC Job Search Guide
Mondays, June 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th |  10am
Location: GT Hiring Solutions Brentwood ESC, 1901 Rosser Ave., #600, Burnaby, BC
Job Postings
Career Development Employment

To post a job here, please email: [email protected] 
(When you write your cover letter, please mention you saw this advertisement in the BC Labour Market Report)

Employment Counsellor
Milieu Family Services
Surrey, BC
Closes: Unknown
Link: Please Click Here
 
Job Developer
Back in Motion Rehab Inc.
Sunshine Coast, BC
Closes: Unknown
Link: Please Click Here
Did you know?
Fascinating Facts

A university degree is not required to become a BC Corrections officer.

- BC Corrections
Quote of the Week
Career Inspiration

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
 
  - Dr. Seuss
In This Issue
Value of BC Tourism
Job Fair Follow-Up
LMI in Social Media
Career Development Calendar
2 Career Development Job Postings
Fascinating Facts About BC Corrections
Inspirational Quote About Speaking Up
Next  Issue of the BC Labour Market
R eport:

 

Profile: 

Drafting Technicians and Technologists

 

Due: June 8, 2017

 

BC Labour Market Report

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