Back

Vancouver Island / Coast

Table of contents

Regional overview Population distribution Employment statistics

This region's industries and sectors B.C. Labour Market Outlook (2015-2025) for this region

Latest numbers for this region in April 2018

Total regional population (age 15+): 673,900

Total regional employment: 390,300

Regional unemployment rate: 5.2 %
- In Victoria 4.2 %

Total regional employment: 390,300

Source: Monthly Labour Force Survey, 3-month moving average, seasonally unadjusted

Regional overview

The Vancouver Island / Coast economic region is located on the west coast of B.C. and includes all of Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and some of the coastal regions of the Mainland, from the Powell River area up to the Central Coast. It includes Nanaimo and the provincial capital, Victoria.

Regional district	Key cities
Regional district Alberni-Clayoquot	Key cities Tofino, Ucluelet
Regional district Capital	Key cities Victoria
Regional district Central Coast	Key cities
Regional district Comox Valley	Key cities Courtenay, Comox
Regional district Cowichan Valley	Key cities Duncan
Regional district Mount Waddington	Key cities
Regional district Nanaimo	Key cities Nanaimo
Regional district Powell River	Key cities Powell River
Regional district Strathcona	Key cities Campbell River

Key facts

According to the last Census, about 17 percent of B.C.’s population lived in Vancouver Island / Coast, and almost half of those people lived in the Capital Regional District.
Of all the regions, Vancouver Island / Coast had the smallest proportion of children (14 years of age and younger) in its population. It also had one of the highest shares of seniors (65 years of age and older). As a result, the median age in Vancouver Island / Coast (46.5 years) was among the highest of all the regions.
In 2015, nearly 25 percent of B.C.’s Public Administration jobs were located in Vancouver Island/Coast, reflecting the presence of the provincial capital in the region.
Almost 83 percent of jobs in Vancouver Island / Coast were in the Service sector in 2015, more than any other region.

Population distribution

Regional district	Population
Alberni-Clayoquot	31,100
Capital	360,000
Central Coast	3,200
Comox Valley	63,500
Cowichan Valley	80,300
Mount Waddington	11,500
Nanaimo	146,600
Powell River	19,900
Strathcona	43,300
Regional district total	759,400

Note:Regional district numbers may not add up to regional district total due to rounding.

Source: 2015 BC Stats (population)

Age distribution

Age
% by age for Vancouver Island / Coast
% by age for B.C.

0 - 14
15 - 24
25 - 54
55 - 64
65 - 90+

Source: 2015 Labour Force Survey

Employment statistics

Full-time employment rate by region

Region

Cariboo
Kootenay
Mainland / Southwest
North Coast & Nechako
Northeast
Thompson-Okanagan
Vancouver Island / Coast

Full-time employment rate

B.C. average: 79%

Vancouver Island / Coast employment (2015):

357,300

Total B.C. employment (2015):

2,306,200

Source: 2015 Labour Force Survey

Unemployment rate

10-year unemployment rate in Vancouver Island / Coast compared to B.C. rate (2005-2015)

British Columbia

Low:

4.3 %

High:

7.7 %

Unemployment rate (2015):

6.2 %

10-year average:

6.2 %

Vancouver Island / Coast

Low:

4.3 %

High:

7.8 %

Unemployment rate (2015):

6.3 %

10-year average:

6.0 %

Source: 2015 Labour Force Survey

This region's industries and sectors

Industry	Share of this region's employment	Share of B.C. employment	Sector
Accommodation and Food Services	Share of this region's employment7.9 %	Share of B.C. employment 15.8 %	Sector Services
Agriculture	Share of this region's employment0.6 %	Share of B.C. employment 9.9 %	Sector Goods
Business, Building and Other Support Services	Share of this region's employment3.4 %	Share of B.C. employment 12.9 %	Sector Services
Construction	Share of this region's employment9.3 %	Share of B.C. employment 16.5 %	Sector Goods
Educational Services	Share of this region's employment7.6 %	Share of B.C. employment 16.6 %	Sector Services
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Leasing	Share of this region's employment4.8 %	Share of B.C. employment 13.5 %	Sector Services
Fishing, Hunting and Trapping *	Share of this region's employment0.0 %	Share of B.C. employment 0.0 %	Sector Goods
Forestry and Logging with Support Activities *	Share of this region's employment0.0 %	Share of B.C. employment 0.0 %	Sector Goods
Health Care and Social Assistance	Share of this region's employment16.2 %	Share of B.C. employment 20.2 %	Sector Services
Information, Culture and Recreation	Share of this region's employment4.2 %	Share of B.C. employment 13.0 %	Sector Services
Manufacturing	Share of this region's employment4.6 %	Share of B.C. employment 9.5 %	Sector Goods
Mining and Oil and Gas Extraction *	Share of this region's employment0.0 %	Share of B.C. employment 0.0 %	Sector Goods
Other Services	Share of this region's employment4.6 %	Share of B.C. employment 15.6 %	Sector Services
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	Share of this region's employment7.5 %	Share of B.C. employment 14.2 %	Sector Services
Public Administration	Share of this region's employment6.7 %	Share of B.C. employment 25.0 %	Sector Services
Transportation and Warehousing	Share of this region's employment4.8 %	Share of B.C. employment 12.1 %	Sector Services
Utilities	Share of this region's employment0.4 %	Share of B.C. employment 10.3 %	Sector Goods
Wholesale and Retail Trade	Share of this region's employment14.8 %	Share of B.C. employment 15.0 %	Sector Services

Note:*Data for this industry is from the combined dataset for Forestry, Fishing, Mining, Quarrying, Oil and Gas; therefore, the data for this industry was suppressed from reporting.

Source: 2015 Labour Force Survey

Goods and Services sectors

Share of employment in Goods and Service sectors (2015)

Goods Services

Source: 2015 Labour Force Survey

The Vancouver Island/Coast region accounts for the second largest percent of provincial employment.

Service sector

Vancouver Island/Coast is a mixture of urban and rural areas, and its economy reflects this diversity. As Victoria is the capital city, there is a large government presence.

Goods sector

In 2015, Vancouver Island / Coast accounted for fourteen percent of provincial employment in the Goods producing sector (agriculture, forestry, mining, oil and gas, fishing, hunting and trapping, utilities, construction and manufacturing).

In the more rural areas of Vancouver Island / Coast, there are significant resource-based activities.

B.C. Labour Market Outlook (2015-2025) for this region

Composition of job openings

New jobs due to economic growth:
29.0%
43,400 openings

Replacement of retiring workers:
71.0%
104,600 openings

Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook

Employment outlook

2016
2020
2025

Forecasted 10-year total employment growth:	44,200
Forecasted average annual employment growth rate:	1.2%

Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook

Top 10 industries	Job openings	Employment growth
Top 10 industries
Health Care and Social Assistance	Job openings 30,500	Employment growth 1.9%
Wholesale and Retail Trade	Job openings 21,100	Employment growth 1.4%
Accommodation and Food Services	Job openings 14,400	Employment growth 1.2%
Construction	Job openings 13,900	Employment growth 0.9%
Educational Services	Job openings 13,600	Employment growth 1.4%
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	Job openings 12,300	Employment growth 1.4%
Public Administration	Job openings 10,600	Employment growth 0.9%
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Leasing	Job openings 7,900	Employment growth 0.9%
Transportation and Warehousing	Job openings 6,000	Employment growth 0.8%
Other Services	Job openings 3,900	Employment growth 1.1%

Top Industries for this region