BC Tourism and Hospitality Employment Tracker

It’s not magic. It’s mechanics! Statistics Canada conducts monthly data from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey and Qatalyst Research Group generates tables with tourism and hospitality-specific data. Those tables are the most accurate and relevant data source from which we can pull trends in our industry and monitor our post-pandemic recovery on a monthly basis.

Choose your own (statistics) adventure with our online employment tracker. Use the charts automatically generated each month to track employment trends in tourism and hospitality. Or flip the script and plot your own outcomes to create custom charts that dive into data by year, region, sector, or other metrics.

Introduction

The Employment Tracker reports on monthly changes in employment in the BC Tourism and Hospitality industry. The Tracker draws primarily from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), a monthly household survey conducted by Statistics Canada. The LFS is the most timely source of data on the labour market across Canada.

go2HR receives LFS tables generated by Qatalyst Research Group via Statistics Canada's Real Time Remote Access (RTRA) Program that follows the Tourism Satellite Account’s definition of tourism. This data enables go2HR to track changes in employment and major trends in the Tourism and Hospitality industry in BC and monitor the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on the Tourism and Hospitality industry.

Contents

Readers should be aware that the LFS is a sample survey and estimates are subject to both sampling and non-sampling errors.

Statistics Canada develops national labour market projections based on a monthly LFS survey of 56,000 households, covering 100,000 individuals from across Canada. Data is available on a sector (aligned with specific NAICS codes) and regional basis (e.g. by development region within BC). While this sample size provides for statistically reliable projections at the national, provincial and industry levels, the results become less statistically reliable once data is presented at the sector and regional level within BC.

As an illustration, BC accounts for about 12% of Canadian households and the Tourism and Hospitality sector typically employs about 12% of British Columbians. Applying these percentages, we would expect that about 1.4% of the individuals covered in the survey may be associated with the Tourism and Hospitality industry in BC (i.e. Of the 100,000 individuals captured in the household survey, about 1,400 would be associated with the Tourism and Hospitality industry in BC; this would provide a statistically reliable estimate of employment in the industry, equal to ± 2.6% at a confidence level of 95%). As the projections are broken down by sector within the industry and by development region within BC, the results are based on fewer and fewer surveys (and therefore become less statistically reliable). The results are also subject to rounding errors (e.g. results are reported in increments of 2,500).

As such, readers should be cautious when interpreting results presented at the sector and regional levels, particularly for smaller sectors and regions where the results can vary significantly on a month to month basis.

For additional information related to the LFS Study, please refer to the LFS User Guide. For further information about statistical reliability, please refer to Table 7.1 (Coefficients of Variation) in the LFS User Guide. Generally speaking, the larger the count presented in a graph or table, the greater the statistical reliability. When the count (e.g. the number of people employed in the Food and Beverage sector) is greater than or equal to 39,600, the coefficient of variation (CV) is less than or equal to 10%; when the count in the range of 39,600 and 13,900, the CV is from 10% to 20%; and when the counts are below 10,000, the CV is typically 20% or above.

Count Coefficient of Variation
Over 322,5001%
113,001 to 322,5002.5%
61,201 to 113,0005%
39,601 to 61,2007.5%
18,601 to 39,60010%
13,901 to 18,00016.5%
9,901 to 13,90020%
6,401 to 9,90025%
6,400 or less33%

For more information, please refer to Table 7.1 - Coefficient of variation (CV) for estimates of monthly totals, Canada and provinces, from the LFS User Guide.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is an industry classification system developed by the statistical agencies of Canada, Mexico and the United States. Created against the background of the North American Free Trade Agreement, it is designed to provide common definitions of the industrial structure of the three countries and a common statistical framework to facilitate the analysis of the three economies. NAICS is based on supply-side or production-oriented principles, to ensure that industrial data, classified to NAICS, are suitable for the analysis of production-related issues such as industrial performance[1].

This employment tracker follows the Tourism Satellite Account’s definition of Tourism and Hospitality sector, which is defined by the following NAICS codes:

  • Accommodation:
    • 7211 Traveller accommodation
    • 7212 Recreational vehicle (RV) parks and recreational camps
  • Food and Beverage Services:
    • 7224 Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)
    • 7225 Full-service restaurants and limited-service eating places
  • Recreation and Entertainment:
    • 5121 Motion picture and video exhibition
    • 7111 Performing arts companies
    • 7112 Spectator sports
    • 7115 Independent artists, writers and performers
    • 7121 Heritage institutions
    • 7131 Amusement parks and arcades
    • 7132 Gambling industries
    • 7139 Other amusement and recreation industries
  • Transportation and Travel Services:
    • 4811 Scheduled air transport
    • 4812 Non-scheduled air transport
    • 4821 Rail transportation
    • 4831 Deep sea, coastal and great lakes water transportation
    • 4832 Inland water transportation
    • 4851 Urban transit systems
    • 4853 Taxi and limousine service
    • 4854 School and employee bus transportation
    • 4855 Charter bus industry
    • 4859 Other transit and ground passenger transportation
    • 4871 Scenic and sightseeing transportation – land
    • 4872 Scenic and sightseeing transportation – water
    • 4879 Scenic and sightseeing transportation – other
    • 5321 Automotive equipment rental and leasing
    • 5615 Travel arrangement and reservation services

Further details can be found here. Detailed definitions of the NAICS code can be found here.

LFS collects data from the eight economic development regions within British Columbia: North Coast, Nechako, Northeast, Cariboo, Vancouver Island/Coast, Mainland/Southwest, Thompson Okanagan, and the Kootenays. The following map shows the eight economic development regions in British Columbia.

Source: https://pwp.vpl.ca/siic/job-search-resources/regions-of-british-columbia/

While there are eight development regions in BC, this employment tracker reports data for six regions:

  • Cariboo
  • Lower Mainland
  • Northern BC (North Coast, Northeast, Nechako)
  • Thompson Okanagan
  • Kootenay
  • Vancouver Island

Three of the Northern regions (Northeast, North Coast, and Nechako) are sparsely sampled by the LFS, so the data for these regions are combined and defined to be Northern BC.

Comparison of Development Regions to Tourism Regions in BC

The map below compares the eight economic development regions (black uppercase text and transparent) to the six tourism regions (white text and coloured) in BC. The six tourism regions within British Columbia include Northern BC, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast, Vancouver Island, Vancouver Coast & Mountains, Thompson Okanagan, and Kootenay Rockies. The tourism regions align with the six regional destination marketing organizations in British Columbia. As indicated below, while there is some commonality between the two sets of regional definitions, no region aligns directly with their counterpart in the opposite set.

Source: GO2HR. https://www.go2hr.ca/essential-tips-info/working-in-bc-tourism-regions;
WorkBC. https://www.workbc.ca/labour-market-industry/regional-profiles.aspx

Chart 1: Employment By Sector, 2019-2024

Key Takeaways:

  • Employment in BC’s Tourism and Hospitality sector decreased by 3.8% from 336,500 in February 2024 to 323,750 in March 2024. Tourism and Hospitality employment in BC is lower than pre-COVID levels, with 20,500 less jobs compared to March 2019 (323,750 in March 2024 vs 344,250 in March 2019).

Chart 1 tracks monthly employment in BC’s Tourism and Hospitality sector since 2019. Users can select data for each sector at the right-hand side of the chart. Display options include line chart or bar chart. Users may also compare employment data across sectors for a single selected year. This option is available by clicking the Invert Options button at the bottom right of the chart window.

Clicking the View Table button beneath the graph will expand a table displaying the same information as the graph. There is also a Download button, which will download a csv file containing the data used to create the graph.

Please note: Please note: There is high variability in monthly industry sector data at the provincial level. Coefficient of Variation for BC estimates can be found here.

Sector

Years

Style

Year

Sectors

Style

Chart 2: Employment By Region, 2019-2024

Key Takeaways:

  • Employment in BC’s Tourism and Hospitality sector decreased by 3.8% from 336,500 in February 2024 to 323,750 in March 2024. Employment change varied across all regions, increasing in the Cariboo, Kootenay, and Vancouver Island regions, and decreasing in the Lower Mainland, Northern BC, and Thompson Okanagan regions.
  • Tourism and Hospitality employment in March 2024 in all regions, except the Cariboo and Vancouver Island regions, remained below pre-COVID levels.

Chart 2 displays Tourism and Hospitality employment information for each of the economic development regions in BC Users can select data for each region at the right-hand side of the chart. Display options include line chart or bar chart. Users may also compare employment data across regions for a single selected year. This option is available by clicking the Invert Options button at the bottom right of the chart window.

Clicking the View Table button beneath the graph will expand a table displaying the same information as the graph. There is also a Download button, which will download a csv file containing all of the data used to create the graph.

Please note: There is high variability in monthly industry sector data at the regional level, typically higher than the variability at the provincial level. Coefficient of Variation for BC estimates can be found here.

Region

Years

Style

Year

Regions

Style

Chart 3: Employment By Region and Sector, 2019-2024

Key Takeaways:

  • Employment decreased in all sectors, except for Food and Beverage Services, from February 2024 to March 2024.
  • Among all Tourism and Hospitality sectors, only the Recreation and Entertainment sector has surpassed pre-COVID levels (March 2019) in terms of employment.

Chart 3 displays the same employment information but for each of the Tourism and Hospitality sectors and economic development regions in BC since 2019. For each region and year, users can select data for multiple sectors at the right-hand side of the chart. Users may also compare employment data across regions for any selected sector and year. This option is available by clicking the Invert Options button at the bottom right of the chart window.

Clicking the View Table button beneath the graph will expand a table displaying the same information as the graph. There is also a Download button, which will download a csv file containing all of the data used to create the graph.

Please note: There is high variability in monthly industry sector data at the regional level, typically higher than the variability at the provincial level. Coefficient of Variation for BC estimates can be found here. Due to the small sample in the region and sector data reported by the LFS, Thompson-Okanagan and Kootenay are combined only for reporting purposes and are combined only on this chart.

Region

Year

Sectors

Style

Sector

Year

Regions

Style

Chart 4: Leading Occupations By Sector, 2019-2024

Key Takeaways:

  • Leading occupations (those that reported a greater employment weight) in the Tourism and Hospitality industry in BC include Creative and performing artists; Photographers, graphic arts technicians and technical and co-ordinating occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting and the performing arts; Athletes, coaches, referees and related occupations; Service Supervisors; Chefs and cooks; Occupations in food and beverage service; Occupations in travel and accommodation; Cashiers; Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations; Cleaners; Machinery and transportation equipment mechanics; and Motor vehicle and transit drivers.
  • More than half of the leading occupations are still experiencing lower employment levels compared to their pre-COVID employment levels in 2019. However, employment in some leading occupations such as Creative designers and craftspersons; Photographers, graphic arts technicians and technical and co-ordinating occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting and the performing arts; Athletes, coaches, referees and related occupations; and Motor vehicle and transit drivers remain higher than their 2019 levels. Care must be used in interpreting the data given that the Coefficient of Variation for each of the reported occupations is from 20% to well over 35%.
  • Although employment levels among all four Tourism and Hospitality industry sectors have been impacted by COVID-19, leading occupations in Food and Beverage Services have recovered 88% of the pre-COVID-19 level, while occupations in Travel and Accommodation Services have recovered 77% of the pre-COVID levels.
  • Various occupations exist in multiple sectors. For example, chefs and cooks exist in both Accommodation and Food and Beverage sectors, while the Food and Beverage sector accounted for a higher percentage of the overall chefs and cooks employed in the industry.

Chart 4 shows employment levels broken down by leading occupations (in 3-digits NOCs) for each Tourism and Hospitality sector in BC Users can select data for each sector at the right-hand side of the chart. Users may also compare employment data across multiple sectors for any selected occupation. This chart also provides an option to show year over year changes in employment levels of a sector’s leading occupations. This provides a comparison of pre and post pandemic employment levels in selected occupations and sectors. This option is available by selecting Across Years under Display.

Clicking the View Table button beneath the graph will expand a table displaying the same information as the graph. There is also a Download button, which will download a csv file containing all of the data used to create the graph.

Detailed information of the Canadian NOC codes can be found here.

Please note: Some occupations may result in a large sampling error, to accompany this issue to some degree, the chart also provides an option to display 3-months moving averages. However, users should still note the high variability in monthly occupational data at the provincial level. Coefficient of Variation for BC estimates can be found here.

Display

Sector

Data Source

Display

Sector

Data Source

Display

Occupations

Data Source

Chart 5: Employment By Selected Characteristics, January 2024

Key Takeaways:

  • Of those employed in BC’s Tourism and Hospitality industry, 52% are male and 48% are female. The Transportation and Travel Services sector, however, has a higher concentration of males. About 69% of workers are between 15 to 44 years of age. Most workers in BC’s Tourism and Hospitality industry have at least a High School Diploma, 31% have a degree or diploma below a bachelor’s, and 25% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Chart 5 presents a series of employment distributions in BC’s Tourism and Hospitality Sector by selected characteristics such as gender, age group, and education levels. Data is presented for the latest available month: April 2021. User may switch between charts by selecting an option under Characteristics at the top right of the chart window.

Clicking the View Table button beneath the graph will expand a table displaying the same information as the graph. There is also a Download button, which will download a csv file containing all of the data used to create the graph.

Please note: There is high variability in monthly industry sector data at the provincial level. Coefficient of Variation for BC estimates can be found here.

Characteristic

Display

Characteristic

Sectors

Characteristic

Chart 6: Employment By Job Status, 2019-2024

Key Takeaways:

  • While overall employment in the Tourism and Hospitality industry decreased by 3.8% in March 2024, the percentage of workers employed full-time slightly increased from February 2024 to March 2024 (61% in February 2024 vs 62% in March 2024)
  • In March 2024, Transportation and Travel led BC tourism sectors with approximately 86% full-time workers, as compared to a low of 47% full-time workers in the Food and Beverage sector.

Chart 6 tracks monthly full time and part time employment in BC’s Tourism and Hospitality sector since 2019. This chart has three display options, which can be toggled at the lower right-hand side of the chart. The first option displays the total employment as well as the percentage of full time and part time workers; while this option is selected, a single a single year and sector can be displayed at a time. The second option shows all sectors at once, and allows the user to select as single year and status at a time. The third option shows all years at once, and allows the user to select a single status and sector at a time.

Clicking the View Table button beneath the graph will expand a table displaying the same information as the graph. There is also a Download button, which will download a csv file containing all of the data used to create the graph.

Please note: There is high variability in monthly industry sector data at the provincial level. Coefficient of Variation for BC estimates can be found here.

Year

Sector

Options

Year

Status

Options

Status

Sector

Options

Chart 7: Labour Force by Sector, 2019-2024

Key Takeaways:

  • The Tourism and Hospitality labour force includes all the people working in the Tourism and Hospitality sector as well as unemployed individuals seeking work whose last job was in the Tourism and Hospitality sector. The total number of people in the Tourism and Hospitality labor force shows how many individuals are available to work in the sector. Reductions in the labor force can be due to workers moving to different industries for work, declines in available employment opportunities, or because unemployed workers decide not to continue looking for work in the sector.
  • The Tourism and Hospitality labour force increased by 0.7% to 354,500 in March 2024 from 352,000 in February. Labour force gains were observed in the Food and Beverage Services and Recreation and Entertainment sectors, while losses were observed in the Accommodation and Transportation and Travel sectors.
  • Data suggests that the overall industry labour force has not surpassed its pre-COVID level (354,500 in March 2024 vs 359,000 March 2019).

Chart 7 tracks the labour force in each of the Tourism and Hospitality sectors in BC This chart has three display options, which can be toggled in the lower right-hand corner of the chart. The first option displays the total monthly labour force for a selected sector for the last three years since 2019. The second option shows the total monthly labour force broken down into employed and unemployed workers for a selected year and sector. The third option displays the total monthly labour force for any number of sectors in a given year.

Clicking the View Table button beneath the graph will expand a table displaying the same information as the graph. There is also a Download button, which will download a csv file containing all of the data used to create the graph.

Please note: There is high variability in monthly industry sector data at the provincial level. Coefficient of Variation for BC estimates can be found here.

Sector

Options

Year

Sector

Options

Year

Sector

Options

Chart 8: Labour Force by Region, 2019-2024

Key Takeaways:

  • The Tourism and Hospitality labor force includes people working in the Tourism and Hospitality sector as well as unemployed individuals seeking work whose last job was in the Tourism and Hospitality sector. The total number of people in the Tourism and Hospitality labour force shows how many individuals are available to work in the sector. Reductions in the labor force can be due to workers moving to different industries for work, declines in available employment opportunities, or because unemployed workers decide not to continue looking for work in the sector.
  • The Tourism and Hospitality labour force increased by 0.7% to 354,500 in March 2024 from 352,000 in February. Labour force losses were observed in the Lower Mainland, Northern BC, and Thompson Okanagan regions. However, these losses were outweighed by labour force gains were in the Cariboo, Kootenay, and Vancouver Island regions.
  • Data suggests that the overall industry labour force has not surpassed its pre-COVID level (354,500 in March 2024 vs 359,000 March 2019).

Chart 8 tracks the labour force in each of the economic development regions in BC This chart has three display options, which can be toggled in the lower right-hand corner of the chart. The first option displays the total monthly labour force for a selected region for the last three years since 2019. The second option shows the total monthly labour force broken down into employed and unemployed workers for a selected year and region. The third option displays the total monthly labour force for any number of regions in a given year.

Clicking the View Table button beneath the graph will expand a table displaying the same information as the graph. There is also a Download button, which will download a csv file containing all of the data used to create the graph.

Please note: There is high variability in monthly industry sector data at the regional level, typically higher than the variability at the provincial level. Coefficient of Variation for BC estimates can be found here. Regional data on unemployment with counts below 10,000 must be used with high caution.

Region

Options

Year

Region

Options

Year

Regions

Options

Chart 9: Unemployment Rate, 2019-2024

Key Takeaways:

  • The unemployment rate in the Tourism and Hospitality sector in BC increased from 4.3% in February 2024 to 8.7% in March 2024. The unemployment rate is above the pre-COVID level (8.7% in March 2024 vs 4.1% in March 2019). The quoted unemployment rate is lower in comparison to the same month in 2020 and 2021.
  • In March 2024, the unemployment rate ranged from 3.1% to 13.7% across the four Tourism and Hospitality sectors. The accommodation sector has a relatively higher unemployment rate.
  • The unemployment rate in March 2024 ranged from 2.8% to 16.7% across the six economic development regions in BC. The Cariboo region had the lowest unemployment rate while the Kootenays had the highest.

Chart 9 tracks the unemployment rate of the Tourism and Hospitality sector in BC This chart has four display options, which can be toggled in the lower right-hand corner of the chart. The first two options allow users to group data by sector and the last two options allow users to group data by region. The first and third option, labeled "filter by", will display the monthly unemployment rate for a selected sector or region over the past three years since 2019. The second and fourth options, labeled "show all", will display the unemployment rate for any number of sectors or regions for one selected year.

Clicking the View Table button beneath the graph will expand a table displaying the same information as the graph. There is also a Download button, which will download a csv file containing all of the data used to create the graph.

Readers should note that Canadians are considered unemployed if they are actively seeking work. The number of individuals employed in BC’s Tourism and Hospitality sector has decreased by 70,000 from February 2020 to date, but the number of “unemployed” individuals increased by only 4,000, which shows that unemployed individuals have decided that actively seeking work is either not beneficial, or they are waiting for businesses to re-open before continuing to look for work. The abruptness of the job losses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the attached restrictions has created a unique labor market and therefore the unemployment rate can only tell part of the story. When restrictions are lifted, businesses are able to re-open, and emergency benefits are drawn back, the unemployment rate will become a more accurate indicator of the relative strength of the labour market.

Please note: There is high variability in monthly demographic data at the provincial level and regional level. Coefficient of Variation for BC estimates can be found here.

Sector

Options

Year

Sector

Options

Region

Options

Year

Region

Options

Chart 10: Actual Hours Worked Per Week, 2019-2024

Key Takeaways:

  • Aggregate weekly hours worked in BC’s Tourism and Hospitality sector decreased from 9.43 million hours worked in February 2024 to 9.38 million hours worked in March 2024. The magnitude of the decrease is much more significant in Transportation sector. In terms of regions, the Lower Mainland region had the largest decrease.
  • The overall actual hours worked per week were lower in comparison to the pre-COVID levels (9.38 million hours worked per week in March 2024 vs 9.98 million hours worked per week in March 2019).

Chart 10 tracks the hours worked in one week in the Tourism and Hospitality sector in B.C each month. This chart has four display options, which can be toggled in the lower right-hand corner of the chart. The first two options allow users to group data by sector and the last two options allow users to group data by region. The first and third option, labeled "filter by", will display the monthly hours worked for one selected sector or region over the past three years since 2019. The second and fourth options, labeled "show all", will display the hours worked for any number of sectors or regions for one selected year.

Clicking the View Table button beneath the graph will expand a table displaying the same information as the graph. There is also a Download button, which will download a csv file containing all of the data used to create the graph.

Please note: There is high variability in monthly demographic data at the provincial level and regional level. Coefficient of Variation for BC estimates can be found here.

Sector

Options

Year

Sector

Options

Region

Options

Year

Region

Options

Chart 11: Average Hourly Earnings, 2019-2024

Key Takeaways:

  • Average hourly earnings in BC’s Tourism and Hospitality sector have been steady with some fluctuation between $24 to $29 over the past two years. Average hourly earnings by sector ranged from $20 to $40 in March 2024; the Transportation sector had the highest average hourly earnings while the Food and Beverage sector reported the lowest.
  • Average hourly earnings by region ranged from $21 to $29 in March 2024; the Thompson Okanagan region reported the highest average hourly earnings, while the Cariboo region reported the lowest.

Chart 11 tracks the average hourly wage in the Tourism and Hospitality sector in B.C each month. This chart has four display options, which can be toggled in the lower right-hand corner of the chart. The first two options allow users to group data by sector and the last two options allow users to group data by region. The first and third option, labeled "filter by", will display the hourly wage for one selected sector or region over the past three years since 2019. The second and fourth options, labeled "show all", will display the hourly wage for any number of sectors or regions for one selected year.

Clicking the View Table button beneath the graph will expand a table displaying the same information as the graph. There is also a Download button, which will download a csv file containing all of the data used to create the graph.

Please note: There is high variability in monthly demographic data at the provincial level and regional level. Coefficient of Variation for BC estimates can be found here.

Sector

Options

Year

Sector

Options

Region

Options

Year

Region

Options

Chart 12: Sales Revenue of Food Services and Drinking Places, 2019-2024

Key Takeaways:

  • While employment in the Food and Beverage sector decreased by 2.0% from December 2023 to January 2024, sales of food services and drinking places also decreased by 17.1%
  • Sales revenues of food services and drinking places are higher than pre-COVID levels ($1,185 million in January 2024 vs $968 thousand in January 2019). Sales revenue in January 2024 is also much higher than in the same month in 2020 (978,000), 2021 (788,965), and 2022 (914,000).

Chart 12 displays the monthly sales of food services and drink places in thousands of dollars each month for the last three years since 2019.

Clicking the View Table button beneath the graph will expand a table displaying the same information as the graph. There is also a Download button, which will download a csv file containing the data used to create the graph.

Source: Statistics Canada. Table 21-10-0019-01  Monthly survey of food services and drinking places (x 1,000)

Chart 13: Hotel Occupancy Rate, 2019-2024

Key Takeaways:

  • While employment in the Accommodation sector decreased by 15% from January 2024 to February 2024, hotel occupancy rates in BC increased by 10.8 percentage points from 52.0% in January 2024 to 62.8% in February 2024.
  • Provincial hotel occupancy rates are slightly lower than pre-COVID levels (62.8% in February 2024 and 63.1% in February 2019).

Chart 13 displays the hotel occupancy rate each month for the last three years since 2019.

Clicking the View Table button beneath the graph will expand a table displaying the same information as the graph. There is also a Download button, which will download a csv file containing all of the data used to create the graph.

Source: Tourism Industry Dashboard, Destination BC. URL: https://www.destinationbc.ca/tourism-industry-dashboard/

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1. ^https://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/subjects/standard/naics/2017/v3/introduction


The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of its author(s) and not the official policy or position of the Government of British Columbia.