BC.Works helps trades employers recruit anywhere in British Columbia. The province's rules on certification and job postings are the same everywhere, but the hiring market is not. Travel times, ferries, mountain highways, the size of the local trade workforce and the competition from large projects all change from one region to the next, so we plan each campaign around the region it serves.
- Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley
- Vancouver Island
- Okanagan and Shuswap
- Thompson, Kootenays and Cariboo
- Northern BC
How we divide the province
The direct answer: five working regions, chosen because candidates in each one behave similarly when deciding where to work. They are marketing regions, not official boundaries; BC Stats uses its own development regions, which don't line up exactly.
| Region | Main centres | The usual hiring question |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley | Vancouver, Surrey, Burnaby, Abbotsford, Chilliwack | How do we stand out among dozens of employers within a commute? |
| Vancouver Island | Victoria, Saanich, Nanaimo, Langford, Courtenay | How do we hire on an island where moving is a big decision? |
| Okanagan and Shuswap | Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton, West Kelowna, Salmon Arm | How do we convince people that the valley has a long-term career? |
| Thompson, Kootenays and Cariboo | Kamloops, Cranbrook, Nelson, Williams Lake, Quesnel | How do we grow local apprentices in smaller labour pools? |
| Northern BC | Prince George, Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Terrace, Prince Rupert | How do we attract people to move, and keep them? |
Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley
The largest labour pool in BC, and the most crowded field of employers. Metro Vancouver alone counted more than 2.6 million residents in the 2021 Census, and the Fraser Valley adds Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Mission. Candidates have choices, so employer brand and response speed decide most hires. Travel by bridge and highway matters more than kilometres. The Lower Mainland page covers commute-zone targeting in detail.
Vancouver Island
The Island combines a capital-region market around Victoria with mid-Island centres such as Nanaimo and the Comox Valley. The water changes everything: few mainland tradespeople will commute, so recruiting is mostly local, plus deliberate relocation campaigns for hard-to-fill senior roles. See the Vancouver Island page.
Okanagan and Shuswap
Kelowna is the anchor, with Vernon, Penticton and West Kelowna along the same valley corridor. Many candidates here are weighing lifestyle against stability, and many outside candidates are attracted by the region but worry about year-round work. A clear, honest career path is the strongest message. The Okanagan page explains how.
Thompson, Kootenays and Cariboo
These are smaller, spread-out markets: Kamloops is the largest centre, followed by communities such as Cranbrook, Nelson, Williams Lake and Quesnel. Labour pools are thin, so apprenticeship and local school connections carry more weight than job boards. See the southern Interior page.
Northern BC
From Prince George to the Peace region and the North Coast, Northern employers often need people to move. That makes relocation messaging, honest schedule details and partner-friendly information about the community central to the campaign. The Northern BC page has the specifics.
How a multi-region employer should plan
If you hire in more than one region, run each one as its own small campaign with a shared core message. The reasons to join your company stay the same; the details candidates care about change. A Lower Mainland ad leads with commute and crew stability, an Okanagan ad with year-round work, and a Northern ad with schedule, travel and the community itself.
Keep the reporting split the same way. When a single report blends every region together, a strong Island month can hide a weak Interior one, and you end up spending where it is easiest rather than where the gap is. One page per region, one line per role, is enough.
What stays the same in every region
Some things don't vary by region, and every campaign we run accounts for them:
- Certification rules. Skilled Trades Certification applies province-wide to its listed trades, including the two-apprentices-per-journeyperson ratio. We build that into hiring plans; SkilledTradesBC interprets it.
- Pay ranges in public job ads. The Province's guidance applies across BC; we lay out the range you set.
- Our role. We market and advise. We are not a staffing agency and not a contractor; we don't supply workers or do trade work.
- How to reach us. Call, text or email from anywhere in the province. The contact page explains what to send, and the services overview explains where most employers start.
Frequently asked questions
Do you only work with companies in Vancouver?
No. We are headquartered in Vancouver, but we work with trades employers in every region of BC. Planning meetings happen in person, by video call or by phone, text and email, and shoot days for crew content are scheduled in your area.
Do the provincial rules change by region?
No. SkilledTradesBC, WorkSafeBC and the Province's job-posting pay guidance apply across BC. What changes by region is the labour market, travel and the channels candidates use.
Can one campaign cover several regions?
Yes, but we split the targeting and the message by region, because a Kelowna candidate and a Surrey candidate weigh different things. Reporting is broken out by region so you can compare.
What about HVAC employers?
This site focuses on non-HVAC trades by default. Heating and cooling companies can still reach us, but our HVAC-specific marketing is run under HVAC.Agency.