Step 3: Exploring the Possibilities

Search career profiles

Explore 500 career profiles and learn everything from job duties and wages to projected demand where you live.

Learn about high opportunity occupations

A list of high opportunity occupations has been developed to help your youth make informed career choices and understand which occupations are expected to experience higher demand and offer higher pay compared to others.

High Opportunity Occupations are identified by answering the four key questions:

1. How much is the wage?
2. How easy is it to get a job now?
3. How easy will it be to get a job in the future?
4. How many opportunities ill be available?

Use high opportunity occupations to help guide your career choices, while considering which region you’d like like to work in.

Find out about trades, transport and equipment operators

Over the next decade, there will be over 156,000 job openings in the trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupational category. Replacing retiring workers accounts for 117,600 of the total job openings. 

In B.C., there are more than 100 trades training and apprentice programs that offer career opportunities. Trades occupations are found in a variety of industry sectors, including manufacturing, tourism and hospitality, construction, aerospace, automotive and maritime.

The top 15 trades in terms of projected job openings over the next 10 years are:

• Cooks
• Carpenters
• Construction trades helpers and labourers
• General building maintenance workers and building superintendents
• Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers
• Hairstylists and barbers
• Heavy equipment operators 
• Bakers
• Electronic service technicians (household and business equipment)
• Electricians (except industrial and power system)
• Welders and related machine operators
• Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics
• Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
• Painters and decorators (except interior decorators)
• Plumbers

For more information about trades occupations and training visit:

• WorkBC.ca/trades
• Youth careers in trades
• SkilledTradesBC youth trades programs

Did you know your youth may be able to start their training before even leaving high school? Check out the Youth Work in Trades and Youth Train in Trades programs.

Check out more videos and other success stories.

For additional information, visit the SkilledTradesBC website and contact a SkilledTradesBC apprenticeship advisor for information and assistance.

Discover industries

British Columbia’s diverse industries provide rich and varied job opportunities. Investigate B.C.’s 18 major industries. Access industry profiles to see employment trends, earning potential and more.

Over the next 10 years, five industries will generate about 55 percent of job openings in B.C. They are:

1. Health care and social assistance: 166,300 job openings; 17% of total
   • Health care and social assistance will see the highest growth in job openings in the next 10 years – 54% are from workers leaving the industry but other factors include growing demand from an aging and expanding population and to provide support for mental health.
2. Professional, scientific and technical services: 142,400 job openings; 14% of total
   • Professional, scientific and technical services have experienced rapid growth, and this pattern will continue into the next decade. It’s expected that economic growth will drive 55% of the job openings in this sector. Over half of the 142,400 job openings will be in Computer systems design and related services.
3. Retail trade: 103,700 job openings; 10% of total
   • Approximately 72,200 of the job openings will be to replace retiring workers.
4. Construction: 66,600 job openings; 7% of total
   • Employment in the Construction industry will mainly come from the need to replace retiring workers. 
5. Educational services: 70,500 job openings; 7% of total
   • Of the 70,500 job openings in Educational services, approximately 48,400 of those openings are to replace retiring workers. 

Check out occupational categories

The National Occupational Classification system groups the entire workforce into 10 major occupational categories. Knowing which category your occupations fall under can help you meet the requirements of a job.

Close to three quarters (79.1%) of the projected job openings over the next decade are expected to be in the top five occupational groups.

1. Sales and service: 225,300 job openings; 23% of total 
2. Business, finance and administration: 175,900 job openings; 18% of total  
3. Trades, transport and equipment operators and related: 156,000 job openings; 16% of total  
4. Education, law and social, community and government services: 123,300 job openings; 12% of total 
5. Natural and applied sciences and related: 109,000 job openings; 11% of total

Total job openings include replacement job openings due to exiting and retiring workers and expansion job openings driven by economic growth.

< Step 2: Knowing Oneself

Step 4: Making a Plan >