Victoria bucks unemployment trend

Welcome to this week’s Sunday Briefing. In this issue, learn about Esquimalt’s transformation, who is this year’s top entrepreneur in the province, and an award-winning product.

Now on to today’s briefing. It’s 611 words: a three-minute read.

-Emily, [email protected]

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Victoria bucks unemployment trend

Things often are sunnier on the Island, and that remains true when it comes to employment trends in 2024.

Despite a softening of the labour market in B.C. overall, Victoria posted 6.2 per cent employment growth in September 2024, according to the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia.

“We saw some of the strongest employment growth in the province over the past year,” said Simon Philp, market vice president at CIBC. “It’s good to see that resilience at the local level, especially when the B.C. labour market as a whole has shown some weakness.”

The news was not as positive across the province, with the unemployment rate jumping from 5.5 per cent to 6.0 percent over the last year.

In Victoria, Philp credited growth in the services and good sectors for creating new jobs.

“This year’s growth was driven by industries not usually seen as major employers in Greater Victoria,” he commented. “It’s a great reminder of the diverse opportunities available, which contributes to economic stability in the area.”

📰 More Victoria innovation news

🔥 Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes: In the latest episode of Chamber Chats, Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce CEO Bruce Williams sat down with Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins to discuss the municipality’s transformation.

👀 I’m just checking in: Certn co-founders Andrew McLeod and Owen Madrick were named BC Business’ Entrepreneurs of the Year 2024.

🏆 Stuck on you: Barnacle Systems announced that its newest product, BRNKL Blue, took home the Best New Product Award at the 2024 National Marine Electronics Association Conference and Expo.

🕴️ Tech jobs of the week

Find your next career:

• Service Desk Specialist at BCI

• Project Manager at Myra

• Technology Product Owner - Fire Rescue at District of Saanich

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📅 Upcoming events

November 7 | VIATEC | Why IP Strategy Matters for Business Growth

Join New Ventures BC, VIATEC, and Dr. Houston Brown for a session on IP strategy and business growth.

​This event will include:

• Walkthrough of an in-house IP framework for startups and scaleups

• ​How IP strategies differ from IP plans

• Review of key IP assets and why they matter to business strategy

• Discussion of patents and having an investment-grade patent

• Considerations on IP value versus IP risk

November 15 | Biomedical Engineering and Health Technology Showcase

UVic’s annual event brings together researchers, students, industry, and government agencies to talk about what’s new and exciting in biomedical engineering and healthtech. This year’s speakers include Dr David Juncker, Jessica Vandenberghe, Scott Phillips, Dr Nick Dechev, Dr Mike Berger, and Annelise Lapointe. The event will also include a research and industry fair, BioInnovate Pitch Challenge, and poster showcase.

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