dylan101

Hi

I have a job offer in vancouver as a nurse and would be moving with my husband who is business analyst and 2 small children aged 3 and 8 mths. This is obviously a huge move for us and all things considered we really want to go, however the job market in vancouver for IT work doesnt seem to read well. Can anyone tell me what it is truely like - permanent or contract work considered. any help is much appreciated. thanks

JonboyE

It depends. If your husband has skills that are in short supply he will get work easily, if he doesn't he will find it more difficult. You will get some posters on this site saying that the economy in BC/Canada is going to hell in a handbasket and your OH will never find a job that pays more than minimum wage. Others might be more realistic and say the economy in 2009 (in Vancouver) will be in mild recession and will recover in 2010. It is certainly harder now to get a good job than it was a couple of years ago. Not impossible, but harder.

In truth, none of these posters will likely have a clue what they are talking about. I include myself as I haven't the foggiest idea what a business analyst in IT does.

However, there is one group of people who truly know the employment prospects of a business analyst in IT and that is people who employ business analysts in IT. Your OH needs to research potential employers who might need his skill set and then pick up the phone and call them.

There is a lot of very good information in the wiki on job hunting. Start here http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Quick_...uctions-Canada. It is the best job hunting resource you will find.

Iain Mc

Hi dylan101. I was a BA for seven long and often tedious years back in blighty, the last four or so spent planning our escape to Canada; my wife works at VGH so could potentially assist with any questions if that's where your job offer is.

I can't really speak for the BA market per se, as I used the migration here as an opportunity to switch careers, but my experience was certainly taken into account and has been appropriately valued in terms of salary, leave, and so on.

Technology can be a tough market, certainly, and it's very much down to contacts, luck and being in the right place at the right time. I agree with JonboyE, these things are more important than any headlines about the economy.

This certainly may not be for everyone, but if the market is not readily apparent for your husband's skills, quickly picking up a local technology or management qualification can be extremely valuable if he could budget for, say, six-nine months away from an income (and you have to figure some of that is likely anyway, for job hunting).

I did a post-grad course at BCIT and was hired into a great job before the course had finished - this avoided any dead time job hunting and put me many rungs up a ladder I'd have been at the bottom of had I gone into the market cold. The course provided easy access to industry contacts, networking and other opportunities which in the end were undoubtedly more valuable than the education (which wasn't very expensive, truth be told), a 'known quantity' on the resume which bypassed all the Canadian experience concerns, and provided me with multiple job offers within six months of landing.

I desperately wanted a change to go with the move; again, not for everyone, especially if your husband is happy in his job (I wasn't), but just a thought!

Anyways, we sound like we were vaguely where you are, about eighteen months ago, so feel free to PM if we can be of any help.

Cheers, Iain

Frank'n Sense

Hi,

Others have already given you some good information and links. I just wanted to add some information based on the experience of others we have seen arriving here.

One client is a business analyst and she got a job within 6 weeks. This was in the early part of last year and I assume that things have slowed down since then.

Another client is looking for contract work and finding it hard going. It does seem to be seasonal here, with employers not looking to hire over the "holidays" or during the summer even.

Networking and getting in touch with as many potential employers is the best way to get a handle on the market for your OH's talents.

All the best.

Warmly,

Frank

PS I have heard that LinkedIN is a good place to begin networking.