BCBUSINESS.CA DECEMBER/JANUARY 2019 BCBUSINESS 29
IN OUR FIFTH ANNUAL RANKING OF B.C.'S BEST CITIES FOR WORK,
WE HAVE A FORMER NO. 1 BACK IN THE TOP SPOT, A HANDFUL OF RELIABLE CONTENDERS
AND A LIVELY SHAKEUP OF THE REST. THIS YEAR'S LIST FEATURES A RETUNED
METHODOLOGY, THREE NEW INDICATORS AND AN EXPANDED LIST
OF 46 COMMUNITIES THAT ADDS SEVERAL CHALLENGERS
b y A N D R E W M A C A U L A Y
Exclusiv
B C B U S I N E S S
S U R V E Y
where to
WORK
in 2019
T
he Sea-to-Sky Corridor is the place to be
in 2019, while the Northeast has fallen
out of the top three for the rst time
since our inaugural 2015 ranking of
the province's best cities for workâbut
it may yet have a few surprises in store.
With a provincial economy ring on all cylinders
the past few years and a tightening labour market
putting upward pressure on incomes, it's a good
time to be working just about anywhere in B.C.,
regardless of where your community ranks. As
the economy cruises along, several cities have
climbed above 10,000 in population and onto
this year's list, Whistler, Sechelt and Nelson
among them.
In our fth annual Best Cities for Work in
B.C., we've again worked closely with research
partner Environics Analytics to determine the
economic outlook for dozens of communities,
with an eye on the year ahead. We carried over
seven indicators from the 2018 survey: average
household income, household income for pri-
mary earners under age 35, ve-year income
growth, average household spending on recre-
ation, average shelter costs, ve-year population
growth and unemployment rate. We've also
