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Building BC's economy and infrastructureEngineers, architects, lawyers, and other professionals have played an important role in the province's history and the development of its economy and infrastructure. For example, Royal Engineers built the 770 kilometre-long Cariboo road, which connected Yale to Barkerville and made it possible for miners to transport equipment to their mining sites during the gold rush. It was completed in 1865. Engineers also helped build the Canadian Pacific Railway, the promise of which was instrumental in bringing BC into Canada in 1871. One of BC's most famous architects was Francis Rattenbury, a British immigrant who arrived in Vancouver in 1891. Rattenbury submitted drawings in a competition to design the province's new parliament buildings, using the pseudonym "A BC Architect". The legislature was the first project he ever built, but it wasn't the last-the Empress Hotel is one of many buildings designed by Rattenbury. Many different types of clientsThe industry continues to play a key role in BC's economy, but now includes many activities, such as testing laboratories and computer services, which are of a more recent vintage than the more "traditional" services such as engineering and architecture. Some industries in this group have close ties to the goods sector, with construction, manufacturing, or mining among their most important clients. However, their clients also include governments and other industries in the service sector. Others have a more broadly based clientele, including households as well as businesses. Some are highly export-oriented, generating a significant portion of their income from foreign clients. What's included in professional, scientific & technical services?
These services are usually provided by professionals who have a high degree of training and specialized expertise. Architectural, engineering, design & related services is the biggest employer in professional, scientific & technical services
Architectural services involve planning and designing buildings and structures. In BC, the industry earned revenues of $496 million in 2007. Landscape architects are involved in planning and designing land use for parks, recreational areas, airports, hospitals, residential areas, commercial developments, and so on. Landscape architects earned revenues of $45 million in 2007. More than half of the revenues in the architectural services and landscape architectural services industries were derived from non-residential projects such as hospitals, educational institutions, retail buildings, restaurants, hotels, and office buildings. Nearly a third of industry earnings were from residential building projects, most of them multi-family dwellings. Businesses and governments are the industry's biggest clients. The engineering services industry applies engineering principles to the design, development and use of machines, instruments, materials, structures, systems or processes. This includes providing advice and plans, as well as technical assistance onsite. Engineering establishments in BC worked on many different types of projects and earned nearly $3.0 billion in 2007, up from $2.4 billion in 2006. The largest source of revenue in 200611 was industrial engineering projects, especially for the petroleum & petrochemical and mining industries. Transportation engineering (building highways, roads, bridges, tunnels and so on), utilities, and commercial & institutional building projects were other important sources of revenue. Businesses and governments were the main client groups. About a quarter of total industry income came from sales to clients outside Canada in 2007. Specialized design service establishments are mainly involved in graphic and interior design, but the industry also includes industrial, clothing and jewellery design. Industry revenues in BC were $383 million in 2007. Graphic design and interior design services together generate about 85% of the industry's total revenues. Other services, such as industrial and specialized design services, make up the remaining 15%. Although businesses are the industry's major clients (accounting for nearly two-thirds of total revenues) about a fifth of all revenues come from services to households and individuals. Drafting, building inspections, surveying and mapping activities, and testing laboratories are often grouped with architectural and engineering services. Data for all of these activities is not available, but revenues from surveying and mapping services were $241 million in 2007. This industry primarily works for business clients, although individuals and governments comprise a small percentage of their clientele. Computer systems design services include computer programming as well as systems design. Total revenues of BC establishments were $2.5 billion in 2007. This industry is highly export-oriented, with nearly half of its revenues coming from sales to foreign clients, primarily in the US.
Nearly three-quarters of the industry's revenue came from businesses, with individuals accounting for most of the remainder. Governments and public institutions also purchase these services, but sales to foreign clients are negligible. This is not surprising, given that accounting regulations vary from country to country. It's unlikely that a foreign resident or business would hire a BC accounting firm to provide these services, since local firms would be much more familiar with local regulations. The management, scientific & technical consulting industry provides advice and assistance to other businesses on various issues, including organizational planning, budgeting, marketing, and personnel management. Management consulting is the main activity, but the industry also provides environmental consulting, as well as other types of scientific and technical consulting services. The management consulting services industry earned revenues of $999 million in 2007. Data on revenues for the scientific &technical; consulting services is not available. The legal services industry provides legal advice to a broad range of clients, from individuals to businesses and governments. Unfortunately, there's very little information (other than employment data) available on the characteristics of this industry. British Columbia's advertising industry, which is engaged in creating and placing advertising campaigns in various types of media, took in $478 million in revenues in 2007. The industry includes ad agencies (with revenues of $161 million), public relations agencies ($56 million), various types of media and displays, and other types of advertising, such as producers of advertising materials and direct mailing. Other professional, scientific & technical services includes activities ranging from market research & polling, to scientific research & development, to photographic services, translation & interpretation, veterinary and other services, such as weather forecasting, appraisal services, and handwriting analysis. What's happened since 1990?
Nearly 8% of BC's workforce is employed in the professional, scientific & technical services industry
Employment in computer systems design and management, scientific & technical services has increased substantially since 1990
The computer systems design industry has experienced particularly strong growth, with employment more than quadrupling12 between 1990 and 2008. One reason for the extremely strong job growth in computer systems design is the computer revolution that took place during the 1990s, when computers were transformed from tools used mainly by researchers and some types of businesses into a standard piece of equipment found in many homes, and in most businesses. With the widespread adoption of computer technology, and rapid changes in the types of things computers can do (from performing complex calculations, to storing photos or generating special effects that enhance movies and computer games), came an increased demand for the services of those who could produce or design computer software and systems. This strong growth came to an end when the high-tech bubble burst in 2001, but the industry has begun to pick up speed again and has regained most of the ground lost at the turn of the century. Computer systems design isn't the only industry that has seen strong growth. The number of people working in management, scientific & technical services has tripled, and other components of the industry have also registered significant employment growth that is well above the average for all industries in the province. A number of factors have contributed to these gains. Many large establishments used to maintain departments that provided legal, accounting, engineering, human resources, or other similar services. However, specialized departments are no longer as common as they once were. A growing number of organizations are opting to purchase these services from other firms rather than maintaining staff with specific expertise in these areas. What are the most common occupations?The occupational mix in this industry reflects the technical nature of the services that are offered. Thirty-eight percent of workers are in natural & applied science occupations. One in three workers in natural & applied sciences are computer scientists (programmers, software engineers, web designers & developers, and other systems analysts), while one in five are engineers. Other common occupations include architects as well as technical workers such as engineering, drafting, user support and systems technicians. Two out of every five jobs are in natural & applied science occupations
The second-largest occupational group in this industry is business, finance & administration, with 31% of the workers employed in these occupations. Financial auditors, bookkeepers, legal secretaries, accounting clerks, and other business management occupations are the main types of occupations in this group. Fourteen percent of the jobs are in social sciences & related occupations, primarily lawyers & notaries, paralegals, or policy researchers. More than half of the workers in art, culture & related occupations are graphic or interior designers, or photographers. How many people work in professional, scientific & technical services, and how much do they earn?
Many of the workers in this industry are highly skilled. Wages are well above the provincial average...
The average wage was $25.96 per hour in 2008, which was $4.50 more than the average for all industries in the province. However, wage rates vary within the industries in this group. Workers in the architectural, engineering & design services industry had the highest wages, averaging $29.21 an hour in 2008, slightly more than in computer services, where the average wage was $28.87 per hour. In management consulting, wages averaged $27.65 per hour. Average hourly earnings were lower in accounting ($23.79), legal services ($21.02) advertising ($20.39), and other types of professional, scientific & technical services ($17.21). It is important to keep in mind that these wage rates represent the average of wages paid to all workers, from the clerical staff to the company director. Workers spent an average of 37 hours on the job each week, which is longer than the usual work week in the service sector (35 hours), but shorter than the average work week in the goods industries (40 hours). What are the characteristics of the workforce?Most (84%) of the people who work in this industry have full-time jobs, well above the average (77%) for the service sector. Part-time employment is most common in advertising (32%) and other professional services (36%). One in four (24%) workers in the accounting industry is employed part-time. At the other end of the spectrum, only 8% of workers in the computer services industry hold part-time jobs. Men outnumber women in this industry. Fifty-six percent of the workers are male, compared to 53% for the economy as a whole. There is relatively little seasonal variation in employment in this industry, and temporary employment is not common. Only 6% of the workers were hired on a temporary basis in 2008. Very few workers in this industry have union coverage. At 5% of the workforce, the union coverage rate is lower than in any other major industry, and about a sixth of the all-industry average (31%). ...and unemployment rates are lower than in other industries
Unemployment rates are relatively low, averaging 4.0% during the period from 1990 to 2008. The average for all industries was nearly twice as high, at 7.8%, and in the service sector as a whole, the jobless rate averaged 4.8% during this period. Self-employment is common in professional, scientific & technical service industries...
Given the highly technical skills of many of the people who work in this industry, it's possible for an individual to be an independent consultant or owner-operator of a small business, and self-employment is much more common than in the economy as a whole. Thirty-six percent of the workers in this industry are self-employed, which is double the average for all industries. Among the industries included in this group, self-employment rates range from 24% in the legal service industry to more than double that (55%) in other professional services. Nearly half (48%) of the people working in management, scientific & technical services are self-employed, as are 40% of workers in the accounting & tax preparation industry and 38% of those with jobs in advertising & related services. In all four of these industries, the rate of self-employment is more than double the provincial average (19%). Legal, accounting, advertising, engineering, or architectural firms are often small operations where one or more professionals works with a small staff of clerical workers or other types of assistants. Similarly, consulting and computer programming firms do not necessarily require many support staff. The success of home-based businesses in the computer industry is well known-a number of computer corporations have grown out of small offices in basements or garages. ...and 45% of the establishments have fewer than 20 employees
Not surprisingly, given the high rate of self-employment, many of the establishments in this industry are small businesses. Three out of four people working in this industry are employed in offices and labs with fewer than 100 co-workers. However, there are also large establishments in the industry: 4% of workers have jobs at establishments with at least 500 employees. Where are the jobs located?Seven out of 10 workers are located in the Lower Mainland
Many business service establishments are located in the Vancouver area, where their potential clients are most likely to be located. Corporate headquarters are usually found in large population centres such as Vancouver, and professional, scientific & technical service establishments that have a presence there may be more likely to make contact with potential clients than those who are located in other parts of the province. Firms that are marketing their services around the world may also have more opportunities to connect with foreign clients if they operate in a larger centre. In addition, the demand for some specialized services is probably greater in the province's business capital. However, there's also a demand for many types of services in smaller centres, and establishments in this industry are located all over the province. What's the outlook to 2017?GDP and employment are expected to grow faster than the average for all industries
During the next few years, employment growth in this industry is expected to continue to outpace gains in the economy as a whole. The industry is forecast to employ just over 8% of the workforce by 2017. However, GDP is forecast to grow faster than in the rest of the economy, and the industry's share of total GDP is expected to rise to nearly 6%. |
Establishments in the industry provide a wide range of services, including:
British Columbia's accounting & bookkeeping services industry earned $1.6 billion dollars in revenues in 2007. Not surprisingly, auditing, accounting, and bookkeeping services generate more than half of total revenues, with just over a quarter coming from tax-related services such as tax preparation and planning.
Employment in professional, scientific & technical services has grown faster than the average for all industries, nearly doubling during the period from 1990 to 2008. Its share of total employment has risen from about 6% to nearly 8%. Only two (legal services and advertising & related services) of the seven sub-industries included in this group recorded below-average job growth during this period.
Professional, scientific & technical services employed 174,000 British Columbians in 2008. Twenty-seven percent worked in architectural, engineering & design services, 19% were employed in computer systems design, and 15% in accounting & tax preparation services. Management, scientific & technical consulting and legal services employed similar numbers (14% each) of the total workforce in the industry, with the remainder working for advertising companies and other professional establishments. 
