Despite revenue for the province’s largest communication technology companies being up an average of 8.6% in 2017 compared with 2013, their B.C. employment fell an average of 11.7% during the same period.
Employment is also down an average of 9.7% from five years ago for almost all communication technology firms that appeared on both Business in Vancouver’s 2018 Biggest Communication Technology Firms in B.C. list and its 2014 telecommunications list.
The two exceptions are City West Cable & Telephone Corp., ranked eighth on the list, and 11th-ranked Novus, which reported employment increases of 5% and 28.3 %, respectively.
Companies that have dominated both the telecommunications sector and provincial economy have followed a trajectory reflecting the fortunes of the industry as a whole.
Bell Canada (TSX:BCE) had the largest five-year drop in employment in the province, falling 30.8%, or 800 employees, from 2,600 in 2014 to 1,800 in 2018.
In 2017, the company had a five-year employment drop of 20% from 2013 to 2017.
During the same period Bell had the second-largest growth in revenue, which rose 11.3% to $22.7 billion in 2017 from $20.4 billion in 2013.
Shaw Communications (TSX:SJR.B) was the only company to report both falling revenue and a drop in provincial employment numbers.
Shaw’s revenue fell 5.1% to $4.88 billion in 2017 from $5.14 billion in 2013. During the same period, employment fell 2.7%. Overall, Shaw’s employment from 2013 to 2018 has dropped 28%: to 3,700 from 5,140 in 2013.
The only top-five communication technology company with an increase in provincial employment was Rogers Communications (TSX:RCI.B).
Its local employment increased 19.7%, or 273 employees, to 1,662 in 2018 from 1,389 in 2017.
