Finding staff in the service sector has been so difficult that a few businesses have even cited that as the main reason for shutting down operations.
This includes some Greater Victoria restaurants.
But the struggle to find workers appears to have improved slightly, according to BC Check-Up: Work, an annual report by the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC) on labour market trends.
The report said there were 233,100 Greater Victoria residents employed in November 2023, up 7.1 per cent from a year ago. Employment in the services sector increased by 19,400 workers (an increase of 10.8 per cent) between November 2022 and 2023, accounting for all growth in the region.
“We saw some of the strongest employment growth in the province over the past year” said Simon Philp, market vice-president at CIBC. “That said, gains were concentrated in a small number of industries, rather than spread across the local economy.”
READ MORE: Victoria neighbour war included violent threats over ‘bubbling’ water noise
Gains were made in public administration and health care, which added 11,800 and 5,400 workers respectively. The headcount in business services also increased by 2,800 people during the year. Meanwhile, goods sector employment fell by 3,300 (-11.3 per cent), due to slowdowns in construction and manufacturing.
“Employment growth since the onset of the pandemic has been entirely in the service industries” noted Philp. “Higher interest rates and worker shortages remain challenging for the construction industry, at a time when housing affordability is a key policy issue.”
The labour force participation rate – the proportion of the working age population who were either working or looking for work – was 66.2 per cent in November 2023, up 2.9 percentage points from a year ago, and 0.8 percentage points higher than the February 2020 rate. The unemployment rate has trended upward during 2023, reaching 4.1 per cent in November, similar to the pre-pandemic rate.
“A growing labour force and relatively low unemployment are both positives for the region” concluded Philp. “Affordability remains a concern however, especially as we welcome newcomers who are finding work and contributing to the local economy.”