It used to be that a brisk walk around town was all you needed to do to know how the local job market was doing. The number of "Help Wanted" signs in windows, or lack thereof, was a telltale indication.
Those days are long gone in Squamish, so what is the job market like in 2025, and how can employers and wannabe employees make the most of it?
The Squamish Chief caught up with Aaron Burnell, director of service delivery at WorkBC Employment Services Centre to find out.
WorkBC's employment centres, like the one in Squamish, help people looking for work access employment services, including job search resources, skills assessment, training, work experience placement and online services. They also help match employers with staff.
What follows is a version of the interview with Burnell, edited for length and clarity.
Q: What jobs are currently most plentiful in Squamish?
A: What we're seeing from connecting with employers and connecting with people who are looking for jobs is cleaners, food and beverage—hospitality—are always big in the corridor, and trades.
Construction is definitely one of the key industries in the corridor.
One of the interesting things that we've seen recently is that non-fast food eateries—so, sit-down restaurants— are increasing their hourly wage to try to be more competitive because it's so hard to get people.
Q: Is housing still the main challenge for employees and employers when it comes to jobs?
A: 100%. People living in the area need that housing and there are not ample properties available, so it's very competitive to get in there, and the cost is obviously high, as we know.
Therefore, part-time employment just doesn't work for that need, so employees want full-time employment to afford the housing.
Q: What jobs are there a shortage of—higher-end, top-paying positions?
A: It's not necessarily the higher-end jobs. We get a lot of clients interested in admin positions because it's a good way to enter a company in an entry-level position. One employer got 100 applications for one posting.
Q: Are there other things that are shifting in terms of the job market here?
A: Some things are staying the same. Seasonal jobs are still common. Being so close to Whistler, the whole corridor has a lot of seasonal positions, and you've got a lot of transient populations moving through during those seasons.
Q: Are you seeing any changes in the demographic of the folks coming to you needing help to find jobs?
A: It's interesting, the demographic has shifted; there are definitely a lot more multi-barrier clients. Because of the nature of the labour market, people who have a long-standing work history have very limited barriers to employment. They're finding jobs on their own. The number of people with multiple barriers who are accessing our services has increased. We're seeing it in the Lower Mainland, too, everywhere.
Q: What are some barriers people have to employment? Things like severe anxiety?
A: Food insecurity, unfortunately, homelessness; mental health is a big one as well, and other disabilities—it ranges.
Q: How are people to apply for jobs now? All online?
A: Yes, for most employers, it's all online. The day of handing out resumes in person is long gone, which is another barrier in some aspects.
And for resumes, there's so much AI out there now, but the biggest thing that we tell people who are coming in is that you can't ever rely on it. A lot of clients want to just put their information in and let ChatGPT create a resume for them. But then that becomes very obvious and noticeable. So there's got to be a combination. We’re not saying ignore AI; it's not going to go anywhere, but the resume has to be your own personal take as well. Otherwise, employers will pick that up very quickly.
Q: Can you provide some tips for folks seeking employment in Squamish or for employers seeking workers?
A: For job seekers, one of the things we tell people right off the bat is to know what you're looking for. That goal can be adjusted. It can be modified based on transferable skills. But having a sense of what you're looking for—what industry—is a great starting point. If you don't know, then that's where we need to start.
And next is to connect with us. There are so many things available that people don't even realize, to support not only employees, but employers.
A perfect example is the wage subsidy program that we have. The cost of training is so high for employers, and our wage subsidy program actually offers to pay a portion of the wage for up to six months to the employer to offset that training cost.
It's an incentive for an employer to hire somebody that they want to hire, but the employee just might not have all the skills that they're looking for. We can help with that training cost.
Another tip for job seekers is to stay positive.
"It's hard to stay positive when you're unemployed, and I get that, and there are many challenges, so much frustration—you can only be told ‘no’ so many times when you put in the application. But really, just work with us, and we will work with you to keep that positive momentum going. Momentum is such a key thing. If you lose it, it's so hard to get back.
Another tip is to get ready for virtual interviews. That is just the nature of the world we live in post-COVID. It's a different way to interview. The vast majority of employers now are conducting interviews over Teams or Zoom.
Q: Any other tips for employers?
A: I would say having that ability to hire someone who is not necessarily the perfect-seeming candidate. I know a lot of employers want a candidate who is perfect on paper and has an amazing resume or does an amazing interview. But not everybody interviews well, but that doesn't mean they're not going to be a great employee.
They may not interview well; nerves get to them. Can you readjust your interview practice from the standard of what we're used to into something different that might be more accessible to people who may have an anxiety disorder? Work with us on screening people who are a good fit for the job based on skills and experience.
The WorkBC Centre in Squamish is at 302 - 37989 Cleveland Ave.
