Job prospects Forester in British Columbia

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "forester" in British Columbia or across Canada.

Job opportunities in British Columbia

These outlooks were updated on December 11, 2024.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be limited for Forestry professionals (NOC 21111) in British Columbia for the 2024-2026 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment decline will lead to the loss of some positions.
• A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

Employment in forestry related professions has been declining year-over-year.

The industry continues to face a number of challenges that will continue to inhibit stable job growth, such as difficulty accessing economic fibre, US tariffs, and extreme weather.

Reforestation projects to mitigate wildfire damage have received provincial and federal funding.

A number of curtailments at wood manufacturing facilities has lowered demand for these occupations.

Here are some key facts about Forestry professionals in British Columbia:

• Approximately 1,800 people work in this occupation.
• Forestry professionals mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Forestry and logging (NAICS 113, 1153): 43%
  • Wood product manufacturing (NAICS 321): 13%
  • Architectural, engineering and design services (NAICS 5413): 12%
  • Provincial and territorial public administration (NAICS 912): 12%
  • Other professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS 5414, 5416-5419): 10%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 92% compared to 78% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 8% compared to 22% for all occupations
• 74% of forestry professionals work all year, while 26% work only part of the year, compared to 61% and 39% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 46 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
• 23% of forestry professionals are self-employed compared to an average of 17% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 78% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: 22% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 8% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: less than 5% compared to 28% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 13% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 14% compared to 17% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 60% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 19% compared to 12% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in British Columbia by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Job prospects elsewhere in Canada

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "forester" Forestry professionals (NOC 21111) or across Canada.

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