of 11.5% for the population as a whole.6 And BC’s Aboriginal population
is young, with a median age of 28.9 years in 2011, compared to a
median age of 41.9 years among the overall population that same
year.7 Given these stats and the fact that there will be growing
demand for young workers over the next few decades, it’s understandable that Aboriginal workers are being regarded as part of the
solution to BC’s impending labour market shortage.
For now, however, the labour market participation of Aboriginal
workers lags far behind that of non-Aboriginal workers, despite some
improvement in the past decade. Between 2009 and 2014, off-reserve
Aboriginal employment in BC rose from 69,200 to 82,400, signifying
a five-year growth rate of 19.1%8; compare this to a tepid growth rate
of 3.5% among non-Aboriginal workers during the same period.9 The
unemployment rate among off-reserve Aboriginal workers in BC
remains high, however, standing at 12.3% in 2014 compared to 5.8%
for non-Aboriginal workers.10 And the unemployment rate among
on-reserve Aboriginals also remains high—in 2011, it was 27.2%,
compared to an unemployment rate of only 7.4% among nonAboriginals provincewide.11 Moreover, Aboriginal unemployment
rates in BC’s isolated northern communities have averaged even
higher, ranging between 20% and 42% in 2013 alone.12
The good news is that the longer-term prospects for young Aboriginal
workers are promising. The provincial government projects that
985,100 jobs will open up in BC between 2012 and 2022, with over
half stemming from the retirement of existing workers and the
remainder stemming from economic expansion. Approximately 90%
of these new jobs will be generated in the Southwest BC, Vancouver
Island/Coast, and Thompson-Okanagan Development Regions.13
And while smaller in absolute terms, job creation is expected to occur
most rapidly in the Northeast, North Coast, and Nechako Development
Regions, as proposed resource projects go ahead.14 These projects
represent a major opportunity for young Aboriginal workers to
obtain skills training, find long-term employment, and bring income
benefits home to their communities.
With the right credentials, young workers will be able to fill these
new positions. The question for BC is this: How are Aboriginal youth
being prepped to take advantage of the coming employment opportunities and fully engage in the labour force?
Calculated by the author. According to Statistics Canada’s NHS Focus on Geography Series – British Columbia, BC’s population was 4,324,460
6
in 2011; according to the 2006 Census of Canada, BC’s population was 3,878,310 in 2006.
Statistics Canada, NHS Focus on Geography Series – British Columbia, 2011. Accessed July 2015.
7
Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey Estimates (custom data). Please note that the Labour Force Survey does not gather employment
8
statistics from First Nations reserves.
Ibid.
9
Ibid.
10
The National Aboriginal Economic Development Board, The Aboriginal Economic Progress Report 2015, June 2015. (cfarsociety.ca)
11
Ravina Bains, “Opportunities for First Nation Prosperity Through Oil and Gas Development,” Studies in Energy Transportation, Fraser Institute,
12
November 2013.
Work BC, BC 2022 Labour Market Outlook, workbc.ca, accessed February 2015.
13
Ibid.
14
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