Exodus of BC workers to Alberta ending due to falling oil prices: labour expert
Posted January 13, 2015 11:54 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – With the economic problems due to the price of oil in Alberta, will we see an influx of workers seeking jobs in our province? A labour expert says the shift in employment is a possibility.
Energy giant Suncor cut a thousand jobs, Mark Thompson with UBC’s Sauder School of Business says that’s just the start. “They’ll be more of those to come; I think the exodus of British Columbians to Alberta is probably on hold for the time being.”
He says thousands of people over the years have left our province to work in Alberta especially those in the forest industry, but trend could be reversed because of job losses there. “Some of the more marketable workers from there may well come here particularly if some of the mega projects that are talked about actually take off.”
He says BC jobs in construction, mining or future mega projects are possible. He doesn’t believe the high cost of living will be a deterrent, as he says workers may move to more affordable places in BC’s interior. “Housing is more affordable in the interior, certainly, people coming out of the oil sands of Alberta may find the opportunities are better there (interior) than in the lower mainland.”
Thompson adds there would have to be at least two quarters of economic troubles for our neighbour, before we’ll see a huge impact on employment and wages here.
