British Columbians can expect to see almost one million job openings in the next seven years as boomers retire, according to a provincial government report.

Two-thirds of the projected 985,100 job openings created between now and 2022 will be due to retirement, and one-third to economic growth — especially in skilled trades, according to the B.C. 2022 Labour Market Outlook, a forecast of labour demand and supply trends carried out by the government.

About four out of five of those job openings will require some form of post-secondary education, the report said, while 44 per cent of job openings will be in the skilled trades and technical occupations.

At the moment, about 70 per cent of B.C.’s labour force has some post-secondary education.

“Many people will start thinking about upgrading their skills or even a new career with the arrival of the new year,” Minister of Advanced Education Andrew Wilkinson said in a press release. “There is a lot of information now available to help students access training that employers want, get information on high-demand occupations and see what career is their best fit.”

The report looked at the provincial economy’s growth forecast both with and without liquid natural gas development.

LNG could provide an added 100,000 job openings, the report said.

Between now and 2022, demand for workers is expected to outgrow the labour force by 42,250 workers.

“Overall, labour demand is expected to grow faster than labour supply in B.C.,” the report said. “As a result, tight labour market conditions, where the demand for workers surpasses the supply of workers, are expected in the later part of the outlook periods, starting in 2019.

In other words, perfect timing for someone entering university or a technical institute come the fall.

So what to study?

The Lower Mainland employs 60 per cent of the province’s workers and two-thirds of the coming job openings will occur there, the report said.

The five occupations forecast to expand the fastest for workers in Metro Vancouver and the province’s southwest, with a caveat, are: mine service workers and operators in oil and gas drilling; underground miners; contractors and supervisors in mining, oil and gas; managers in natural resources and fishing; optometrists, chiropractors and other health diagnosing and treating professionals.

It’s just that you better be willing to put up with long commutes.

“Over the forecast period, strong employment growth in the mining, oil and gas industries in northern B.C. is expected,” the report noted. “Due to the smaller size of the local labour supply in northern B.C., significant employment growth is expected to be filled by workers permanently residing in the Lower Mainland and southwest.”

In the Thompson-Okanagan the outlook is best for: optometrists and chiropractors; nurses; health care managers; assisting occupations in support of health services; and physicians, dentists and veterinarians.

“The health care and social assistance industry is the top growth industry in the region,” the report said. “A similar situation is expected in Vancouver Island/Coast and in the Kootenays.”

In the Cariboo, job openings will mostly be in construction, the report said.

A list of the top 60 in-demand jobs of the future and the full report can be found at workbc.ca.

gordmcintyre@theprovince.com

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