Jock Finlayson
Tech-driven job displacement slow to gain labour market traction
The final week of summer is a good time to step back and assess developments in the job market and how it has evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic relative to expectations that prevailed before...
B.C.’s export economy continues to cash in on its Cascadian connections
It is well known that the United States is British Columbia’s largest export market and number one international commercial partner. Even if the specific details of export magnitudes are not widely...
B.C. employment revival is rooted in the province’s public sector
We want to begin by acknowledging Premier John Horgan’s announcement that he will be stepping down in the fall. Although we have not always agreed with the policies adopted by his government, we...
B.C. well-positioned to avoid recession, but downside risks looming large
The past three months have brought a caravan of negative news about the global economy. Amid the war triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the continued ructions stemming from the stubborn...
Goods versus services: analyzing B.C.’s new export equation
The recent release of the provincial government’s economic plan – and specifically the pledge to craft an updated trade diversification strategy – has prompted us to take a fresh look at B.C.’s...
Federal 2022 budget shortchanges productivity improvements
The most important sentence in the 2022 federal budget appears on page 26. It references a recent study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) showing that Canada will...
B.C.’s weak economic plan negating economy’s strong rebound
The BC NDP government’s 2022 Budget, tabled last month following the release of its economic plan, provides a basis for assessing how Premier John Horgan and his colleagues intend to move the...
2022 budget for B.C. needs to be grounded in sound fiscal policy
The BC NDP government’s 2022 budget will be tabled in the third week of February, which happens to coincide with the two-year anniversary of the beginning of the pandemic that continues to roil the...
B.C.’s worsening labour shortage another consequence of COVID
To some degree the seemingly endless pandemic has contributed to now widespread labour shortages and hiring challenges. It prompted some people to advance retirement plans. It led others to leave...
Pandemic, inflation, labour are key challenges for B.C.’s economy
As we approach the two-year mark of the global pandemic, several developments look likely to influence what 2022 has in store for British Columbia’s economy. The most important is the course of the...