Mainland / Southwest
Overview
The Mainland/Southwest region is located in the southwest corner of the British Columbian mainland. It includes Greater Vancouver (also known as the “Lower Mainland”), the Fraser Valley, the southern part of the Sunshine Coast, and stretches north to include Whistler, Pemberton, and Lillooet.
Although it is the smallest region by land mass, it is the largest by population. More than 3 million people, representing approximately 60% of BC’s entire population, live in the Mainland/Southwest region. Vancouver is not only the largest city in the region, but the largest in the province. It is also the financial and business capital of BC, home to the headquarters for many of the larger businesses operating throughout the province, including the banks and other financial institutions.
Other keys cities in Greater Vancouver include the neighbouring municipalities of Burnaby, Richmond, and Surrey. Notable cities in the Fraser Valley include Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Langley.
The Mainland/Southwest is one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the country. People are attracted to this urban region because of its warm climate, metropolitan atmosphere, diverse economic opportunities, thriving entrepreneurial environment, and abundance of recreational activities.
Job Outlook
The Mainland/Southwest region accounts for the largest percentage of provincial employment. Over the next decade (2023-2033), it is projected that there will be 228,060 job openings, with an average annual employment growth rate of 1.2%. The following careers are expected to see the highest proportion of job openings.
Source: WorkBC
Key Industries
The service economy is very important in the Mainland/Southwest region as most of the jobs here belong to this sector.
The majority of BC jobs in the financial and scientific sectors are concentrated in the Mainland/Southwest. It is also a hub for film, television, visual effects, gaming, and digital media as well as for emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
As Vancouver is the shipping hub for all of Western Canada, the transportation industry here plays an integral role of the global supply chain bringing products into and out of Canada.
Other key industry sectors in this region include tourism, construction, education, information and communications technology (ICT), aerospace, and even agriculture.
Sources: WorkBC, Trade and Invest British Columbia