Everyone’s working styles and professionalism along with the workplace culture and employment rates in general have been drastically impacted owing to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though sectors similar to the transport & tourism as well as hospitality services witnessed a striking shutting down due to this gruesome scenario, alternatively, a couple of others were reporting a rise in employment rates.

Canada’s federal government invested in some solid research that uncovered actual figures and values depicting how the virus had a positive/negative impact on every job sector prevalent within the country. Coupled and cumulatively displayed from the above research, here are the ten most in-demand jobs that have become super popular in the British Columbia region, listed alongside their individual National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes.

>  Technical Sales Specialists (NOC 6221)

Such professionals indulge in the sales and marketing of goods belonging to the technical arenas directly to the government, while also classifying the same into commercial and industrial institutions for rampant revenues. A couple of these individuals are also involved in dabbling in wholesale trade services.

Ever since the harmful strike of the pandemic, these professionals faced a dire reduction in employments rates, also inclusive of some layoffs. However, since May 2021, these rates have dropped and now there is an upsurge and increasing demand for technical sales specialists.

>  Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants (NOC 4413)

With a core focus on devoting their lives to spreading the written and oral word by engulfing the teaching profession, these individuals assist local teachers by imparting knowledge through their skillsets in behavioral studies and management. In stark contrast to the employment rates for April 2019, this year during the same time period a shocking 44% rise in these rates was witnessed as per the latest research.

>  Payroll administrators (NOC 1432)

These people are hardcorely involved in the collection, processing as well as administration of payroll-related information and documentation. Their primary tasks include a couple of things inclusive of maintenance of payroll and benefits solely catering to an organization’s employees while also calculating the actual pay scale for them.

Though these job levels witnessed a slight minor drop in their rates since the pandemic hit the province, ever since a couple of months back, a steady increase has been noted for the same. Most employers are considering hiring more payroll administrators since there’s a need to sort out finances and reign back the control over revenues.

>  Information systems analysts and consultants (NOC 2171)

The most important role played by these professionals is looking into problems associated with information system controls and system administration along with handling testing and analysis of system requirements from an internal as well as external source. Along with this, they also ensure that essential and noteworthy policies, plans, and standard operating procedures are in place.

Ever since the pandemic struck, this job position has been garnering tremendous fame and this is bound to continue even after the pandemic situation tames down. This occurrence could be traced back to how the importance of systems and devices, as well as innovative technology usage, has only ever grown with the orders to work from home.

> Computer programmers and interactive media developers (NOC 2174)

These professionals are corely involved in intricately writing, curating, developing, analyzing, and finally testing designed computer code for software programs and doing re-runs to keep perfecting the functioning of the same. Apart from this, they play a role in handling and proper efficiency maintenance of operating systems, data processing systems as well as communication-centered software. Other media-related entities managed by them include mobile phone applications, film-based things, games, interactive visuals, and graphics too.

>  Cooks (NOC 6322)

The cooking of food and other essential items takes place thanks to these professionals who play a vital part in the food services industry catering to individuals at hotels, hospitals, restaurants, educational institutions as well as governmental organizations. Ever since the pandemic hit, eating outside and dining at eateries was a forbidden affair that also caused multiple cooks and chefs to lose their jobs.

Ever since the era of ordering food online and opting for deliveries right at people’s doorsteps began, the requirement for hiring novel chefs and cooks surged the market. Cooks are also in high demand fr those innovators who work on designing commercial estates. The kitchens located in such estates assist with food delivery but aren’t connected to any restaurant. So regardless of whether these cooks are meant to work in traditional settings, their demand has undoubtedly gone higher in other setups in the modern sense.

>  Transport truck drivers (NOC 7511)

Working within and outside of provinces as well as on an international basis, these truck drivers operate and drive while also controlling heavy-duty trucks moving around shorter distances while carrying goods. As they function by delivering crucial goods even during the advent of the pandemic, these drivers have been decidedly provided with a bunch of vital service transformations such as food trucks, areas for rest and recreation as well as inspection stations.

>  Underground production and development miners (NOC 8231)

Working primarily underground in the mining zones, these job professionals spend their quality time blasting, drilling, and mining for the essential extraction of coal, ores, and other important items from the Earth’s interiors. Just to ease out their operations prevalent in their field of work, they’re also often involved in the construction of freeways, passages, and pathways for the smooth transitioning underground.

As soon as the pandemic situation was announced, these workers faced a dire need for jobs due to losses, however, now that the scenario is slowly getting better, the rates are back to a steady increase.

>  Janitors, caretakers, and building superintendents (NOC 6733)

They’re mainly involved in the sanitation, cleaning, and overall maintenance of constitutional, institutional as well as residential buildings and apartments. The demand for professionals who are capable of managing building operations and functions started increasing ever since the pandemic began only due to the constant and focused attention delivered towards cleaning and sanitization activities to prevent further spreading of the virus through building arenas and surfaces.

>  Material handlers (NOC 7452)

They work solely around materials to take care of moving, loading, handling, and unloading of activities. In contrast to 2019’s statistical data, the employment rates for this profession were seen to witness a super doubling becoming almost 91% in April 2020 as accounted in the research.

The primary reason for this is the urgent requirement of transporting, handling, unloading, and loading essential items like food products, sanitation items, and personal protective equipment.

Immigration Process for Similar Professionals to British Columbia

Canada focuses on immigration in a kind of economic sense so as to help boost its personal economic growth and prosperity. For those potential candidates who wish to become PRs (permanent residents) in the nation, possessing previous working experience in a profession that has been listed among these high-demand ones will help them accelerate in this process.

The Canadian Express Entry system caters to such individuals encouraging them to leverage their skilled working experience to proceed with applications for a PR status. The way to identify these job positions is to check out their individual NOC codes. Then, proceed towards applications using either of the three economic immigration pathways that the Maple country boasts of:

• Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP);
• Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP);
• Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

Apart from these three main streams, the province also has its very own PNP (Provincial Nomination Program). Those possessing an Express Entry profile, they’re also eligible to continue applications through a more advanced and personalized pathway i.e. via the province’s very own EE stream called the Express Entry British Columbia (EEBC). Through this stream, every healthcare worker, international graduate, as well as skilled employee, is eligible to proceed towards PNP applications for a potential PR status.

Every few times, the British Columbian Tech program hosts a couple of draws to help those possessing relevant Technological skills to apply for immigration. The prime focus is on a total of 29 professions, the above 10 are also included in the long list. Apart from this, in case people interested possess relevant skills in other low-demand jobs, the British Columbian PNP caters to them via alternate streams too.