Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services
Career Overview
Contractors and supervisors of landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services co-ordinate and oversee the landscape and maintenance work for lawns, gardens, sports fields, golf courses, cemeteries, parks and indoor plantings.
This group includes landscaping and grounds maintenance contractors who own and operate their own businesses. It also includes supervisors who oversee nursery and greenhouse workers or landscaping and grounds maintenance labourers.
Job Titles
Duties
Contractors and supervisors of landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services:
- Hire, train and supervise workers
- Co-ordinate the planting and upkeep of trees, gardens, lawns, shrubs and hedges
- Organize the construction and maintenance of fences, decks, patios, walkways and retaining walls
- Bid on contracts for landscaping and grounds maintenance work
- Organize the materials and labour needed for jobs
- Set work schedules and procedures
- Co-ordinate activities with other groups working on job sites
- Solve work-related problems
- Write reports
- Keep financial and staffing records
- May provide snow removal services
- May carry out some of the same hands-on duties as the workers they supervise
Earnings
Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.
Work Environment
# Workers Employed
3,910% Employed Full Time
55%People in this career work for landscaping, lawn care and tree service companies, cemeteries, golf courses, nurseries, greenhouses and the landscaping operations of public works departments and private businesses. Contractors own and operate their own businesses, and contract out their services to these organizations.
Supervisors and contractors may keep similar hours to their workers–often sunrise to sunset. During peak seasons, more work is available and longer hours are put in.
Most projects take place outside, where workers are exposed to the weather. Organizing, scheduling and other administrative duties usually take place indoors.
The work involved with hands-on tasks is physical, often dirty and sometimes noisy. It can involve power equipment and toxic chemicals, such as fertilizers and pesticides. It includes bending, lifting heavy objects, kneeling for long periods, and repetitive tasks like weeding and digging.
Career Pathways
Contractors and supervisors of landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services usually begin their careers as landscape or horticulture technicians or in other related hands-on roles.
With additional training and certification, they can advance or specialize in a particular area. In large companies, supervisors may move into more senior positions. More often, they go on to start their own business.
Related Careers
Occupational Interests
It’s important to understand what kinds of occupations align with your interests.
For more about occupational interests visit Skills for the Future Workforce > Characteristics.
Here are the top occupational interest(s) for this career profile:
Education, Training and Skills
Contractors and supervisors of landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services must have experience:
- As a landscape or horticulture supervisor or technician
- In the type of work being supervised
To apply some chemical pesticides, workers must be certified. Owners are permitted to supervise a limited number of other certified workers.
Most jobs also require:
- A college diploma
- Courses or industry-related training
- Certification in landscaping and horticulture
- Some jobs may require master gardener certification or other short-term certifications.
Workers coming to B.C.
Those who are certified by a regulator elsewhere in Canada can apply for the same certification from the regulator in B.C. Under the terms of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), most applicants who are transferring their credentials from elsewhere in Canada will not be required to complete additional training or testing. However, the B.C. regulator may ask applicants to provide further information, such as a letter of good standing, references or a criminal record check.
Workers who trained outside of Canada
Those who trained outside of Canada and have never received certification from a Canadian jurisdiction will likely need a full assessment to be certified in B.C. Most occupational regulators have a process for assessment and recognize internationally trained applicants. Contact SkilledTradesBC for details on how to apply for certification in B.C.
For information about labour mobility in Canada, visit www.workersmobility.ca.
View a list of Professional Regulatory Authorities in B.C.
Education programs in B.C.
The following program areas are related to this occupation:
- Horticulture/Floral Related
Skills
Every job calls for a certain set of skills. Knowing those skills is the first step in finding a good career fit.
Here, you will find the 10 most relevant workplace skills. Some are more important to achieving success in a certain career than others. These skills may come naturally to you or you may need to gain them through education, training and experience.
See the list of work-related skills below, ranked in order of importance for this career. Check out the list and see if this career matches your skills—take that first step!
Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Keeping track of and assessing your performance, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Motivating, developing and directing people as they work, and identifying the best people for the job.
Talking to others to share information effectively.
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Teaching others how to do something.
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Labour Market Statistics
Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.
Employment
Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.
Employment
3,910Employment by Region
| Region | Employment | % Employment of this Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 70 | 1.8% |
| Kootenay | 145 | 3.7% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 2,280 | 58.2% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 35 | 0.9% |
| Northeast | 30 | 0.8% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 675 | 17.2% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 690 | 17.6% |
Labour Market Outlook
The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.
Forecasted Job Openings (2024-2034)
1,350Forecasted Job Openings
Forecasted Employment Growth Rate
Composition of Job Openings
Job Openings by Region (2024-2034)
| Region | Job Openings | Avg. Annual Employment Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 30 | 0.8% |
| Kootenay | 50 | 0.6% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 680 | 0.7% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 10 | 0.0% |
| Northeast | Not available | Not available |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 340 | 0.9% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 250 | 1.2% |
Industry Highlights
Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.
Forecasted Job Openings by Industry
| Industry | Job Openings (2024-2034) |
|---|---|
| Business, Building and Other Support Services | 1,030 |
| Agriculture and Fishing | 80 |
| Public Administration | 80 |
| Information, Culture and Recreation | 60 |
| Construction | 40 |
Insights from Industry
Technology plays an important role in this work, especially for scheduling and communication.
As public interest in gardening and the environment has increased, the demand for supervisors and contractors has grown.
Workers in this industry often enjoy a great deal of job satisfaction.
Resources
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Agriculture and Agri-Food Canadaagriculture.canada.ca/en
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British Columbia Golf Superintendents Associationbcgsa.com
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British Columbia Landscape and Nursery Association (BCLNA)bclna.com
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British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association (BCRPA)www.bcrpa.bc.ca/
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Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC)cahrc-ccrha.ca
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Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA)cnla.ca
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Environmental Careers Organization of Canada (ECO Canada)eco.ca
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HortEducation.cahorteducation.ca
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Horticulture Centre of the Pacific (HCP)hcp.ca
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International Society of Arboriculture, Pacific Northwest chapter (PNW-ISA)pnwisa.org
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Pacific Horticulture Collegehcp.ca/pacific-horticulture-college
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SkilledTradesBCskilledtradesbc.ca/
