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Smaller software firms post faster growth than major players

Employment at B.C.’s largest software companies grew an average of 2.3% since 2017
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Large firms continue to solidify their domination of Vancouver’s software industry, according to Business in Vancouver’s list of the largest software companies in B.C. (page 20).

Major players like SAP Canada Inc. also had the biggest one-year growth in local employment of the companies on the list. For example, SAP’s employment grew 7.7%, or 100 employees, to 1,400 in 2018 from 1,300 in 2017.

However, employment at companies lower on the list grew faster than at their counterparts in the top five. The average one-year change in employment for all companies on the list was a 2.3% increase compared with an average decline of 1% for the top five companies.

Other firms in the top five have not posted the same staffing upswing as SAP.

Employment at Change Healthcare Imaging, Workflow & Care Solutions (formerly McKesson Imaging & Workflow Solutions) dropped 20.7% to 595 in 2018 from 750 in 2014. It also recorded the largest one-year decline in employment among the top five: down 8.6% (56 employees) from 651 in 2017.

Change Healthcare’s employment decline allowed MDA to surpass it on BIV’s list in 2016.  MDA now occupies the No. 2 position on the list, and it has increased its provincial employment by 165 or 30.3% since 2014.

While MDA’s growth secured it the second-place ranking on BIV’s list, its employment growth over the past five years was not the largest among the top five. It was outpaced by Global Relay, which posted the largest five-year growth among B.C.’s five largest software firms: 43% (114 employees) to 379 in 2018 from 265 in 2014.