In-Demand Jobs In British Columbia With Pay Over $50/Hour | New List

Last Updated On 6 February 2026, 1:35 PM EST (Toronto Time)

As per British Columbia’s new edition of its official Labour Market Outlook, there are several high-opportunity jobs that are expected to stay in demand until 2035.

For anyone planning a career move or simply trying to understand where the best job opportunities are headed over the next decade, the data is remarkable.

Collectively, these 125 occupations account for 40% of all projected job openings in B.C. over the next ten years.

Today’s Statistics Canada unemployment update adds a fresh context, with B.C.’s unemployment rate dropping to 6.1% and being lower compared to the national average of 6.5%, Alberta’s 6.4%, and Ontario’s 7.3%, showing B.C.’s job market is comparatively better.

The numbers paint a compelling picture. B.C. expects employment to grow from 2.9 million in late 2025 to 3.3 million by 2035, averaging 1.2% growth per year.

More than one million job openings are forecast across the province over the decade, and 77% of those openings will require some form of post-secondary education or training.

Every single one of the high-opportunity occupations falls under TEER categories 0, 1, 2, or 3 — meaning they all require either management-level experience or post-secondary credentials.

Here is a complete breakdown of the top high-opportunity jobs in British Columbia, what they pay, and how many openings are expected.

What Are High-Opportunity Jobs in British Columbia, and How Are They Selected?

The B.C. Labour Market Outlook uses a rigorous methodology to identify which occupations qualify as high opportunity.

Each occupation is evaluated against four key criteria that together determine whether it will offer strong career prospects over the coming decade.

The first criterion is the volume of job opportunities expected to be available, measured by the number of projected job openings and the strength of employment growth in that occupation.

The second is how easy it will be to get a job in the future, based on forecasted labour market tightness — essentially, whether demand for workers in that role is expected to outpace supply.

The third is how easy it is to get a job right now, measured by the most recent unemployment rates for workers in that occupation.

The fourth and final criterion is the wage level, specifically the employment income that workers in the occupation can expect to earn.

Only occupations that score well across all four of these dimensions are classified as high opportunity.

This means a high opportunity occupation is not simply one with many openings — it is one where the combination of demand, supply tightness, current job availability, and wages makes it an attractive career path.

The Labour Market Outlook data is produced using economic modelling that draws on sources including BC Stats, the B.C. Ministry of Finance, Statistics Canada, and other federal departments.

This makes it one of the most authoritative labour market forecasts available anywhere in Canada.

Full List Of In-Demand Jobs In British Columbia With Pay Over $50 Per Hour

Here is the full occupations list with median hourly wage of $50 per hour or over, projected job openings to 2035, the education level required, and links to each occupation’s official WorkBC career profile page.

Occupation	Median Hourly Earnings	Job Openings to 2035	Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities
Pharmacists (NOC 31120)	$50.00	2,530	University degree
Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) (NOC 21311)	$50.00	1,700	University degree
Police officers (except commissioned) (NOC 42100)	$50.96	4,460	College diploma or apprenticeship, 2 or more years
Architecture and science managers (NOC 20011)	$50.96	1,050	Management
Managers in health care (NOC 30010)	$51.28	4,590	Management
Civil engineers (NOC 21300)	$51.28	3,920	University degree
Insurance, real estate and financial brokerage managers (NOC 10020)	$51.28	3,710	Management
Electrical and electronics engineers (NOC 21310)	$51.28	2,930	University degree
Corporate sales managers (NOC 60010)	$51.92	5,820	Management
Advertising, marketing and public relations managers (NOC 10022)	$52.00	6,650	Management
Other business services managers (NOC 10029)	$52.31	1,770	Management
Elevator constructors and mechanics (NOC 72406)	$52.50	460	College diploma or apprenticeship, 2 or more years
Banking, credit and other investment managers (NOC 10021)	$52.88	4,790	Management
Dental hygienists and dental therapists (NOC 32111)	$53.00	2,080	College diploma or apprenticeship, 2 or more years
Dentists (NOC 31110)	$53.85	2,070	University degree
Manufacturing managers (NOC 90010)	$53.85	4,630	Management
Government managers – health and social policy development and program administration (NOC 40010)	$54.00	580	Management
Other managers in public administration (NOC 40019)	$54.95	280	Management
Nurse practitioners (NOC 31302)	$55.00	420	University degree
Financial managers (NOC 10010)	$55.56	4,000	Management
Police investigators and other investigative occupations (NOC 41310)	$55.77	230	University degree
Utilities managers (NOC 90011)	$56.41	860	Management
Human resources managers (NOC 10011)	$56.50	3,540	Management
School principals and administrators of elementary and secondary education (NOC 40021)	$56.73	2,290	Management
Managers in transportation (NOC 70020)	$57.44	2,670	Management
Administrators – post-secondary education and vocational training (NOC 40020)	$57.69	1,510	Management
Managers in natural resources production and fishing (NOC 80010)	$57.69	1,090	Management
Lawyers and Quebec notaries (NOC 41101)	$58.00	5,220	University degree
Veterinarians (NOC 31103)	$59.06	790	University degree
Computer and information systems managers (NOC 20012)	$59.62	10,270	Management
Commissioned police officers and related occupations in public protection services (NOC 40040)	$59.73	120	Management
Government managers – economic analysis, policy development and program administration (NOC 40011)	$60.00	850	Management
Software engineers and designers (NOC 21231)	$60.10	13,760	University degree
Fire chiefs and senior firefighting officers (NOC 40041)	$62.27	390	Management
Engineering managers (NOC 20010)	$67.31	2,580	Management
General practitioners and family physicians (NOC 31102)	$114.62	4,740	University degree
Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine (NOC 31100)	$185.90	3,490	University degree
Judges (NOC 41100)	$230.77	150	University degree
Specialists in surgery (NOC 31101)	$259.74	1,010	University degree

7 B.C. Regions With Their Own High Opportunity Lists

One of the unique features of the B.C. Labour Market Outlook is that it provides region-specific high opportunity occupation lists for all seven of the province’s economic development regions.

This is valuable information for job seekers and immigrants who are considering where in B.C. to settle, as the labour market conditions and in-demand occupations can vary significantly from one region to another.

The seven regions are Mainland/Southwest (which includes Metro Vancouver), Vancouver Island/Coast, Thompson-Okanagan, Kootenay, Cariboo, North Coast and Nechako, and Northeast.

Each region has its own economic drivers: the Lower Mainland is dominated by technology, finance, and professional services; Vancouver Island has strong healthcare and tourism sectors; the Interior and Northern regions are driven by natural resources, agriculture, and construction.

You can explore the region-specific high opportunity lists and detailed economic profiles for each region at B.C. regional profiles.

What the new Outlook Tells Us About B.C.’s Economy

The new edition of the Labour Market Outlook carries several important signals about the direction of B.C.’s economy.

The forecast projects that labour demand will outpace labour supply over the next decade, creating a structural worker shortage that can only be resolved through a combination of measures: increasing labour market participation, attracting more people to the province, raising immigration levels, and adopting artificial intelligence and automation technologies.

This labour supply gap is particularly significant in the context of recent federal immigration policy changes.

The 2025 outlook explicitly notes that it reflects slower population growth due to the reduction in federal immigration levels, which has affected both labour supply and the demand for goods and services in certain sectors.

This creates a tension: B.C. needs more workers than the current immigration system is producing, which means the workers who do arrive are in even higher demand.

The outlook also notes that it does not fully account for the recent fast-tracking of major projects in the province, meaning the actual demand for construction, engineering, and skilled trades workers could be even higher than the published forecasts suggest.

For anyone working in or training for these fields, the practical implication is clear — B.C. is going to need you, and the job market is likely to be even tighter than the official numbers indicate.

Artificial intelligence is acknowledged as a factor that will reshape some occupations, but the outlook notes that the overall employment impact has been restrained so far.

Most businesses in B.C. report no dramatic changes in tasks or employment levels due to AI.

Certain sub-sectors may be experiencing more pronounced effects, but the broad picture is one of continued demand for human workers across the identified high-opportunity occupations.

Whether you are a student choosing a career path, a worker considering retraining, or an immigrant evaluating your options, this list of high-demand jobs in British Columbia is the definitive starting point for understanding where the best opportunities lie over the next decade.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook

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