Addressing skilled labour shortages in biomanufacturing sector in British Columbia

The study explores policy options to address skilled labour shortages in the biomanufacturing sector in British Columbia ("BC"). Interviews with local biomanufacturing companies and analysis of BC labour market reports reveal several issues that affect labour supply and demand, that could cause severe labour shortages in the near future, resulting in the industry's limited ability to increase sales and production and foregone economic profit for the province. An examination of three jurisdictions is used to identify specific factors that contribute to the development of a strong talent ecosystem. Interviews with local biomanufacturing companies also inform policy options that could improve talent attraction and retainment in the sector. Results indicate that BC's biomanufacturing labour market could benefit from three consecutive policy options: 1) Creating a sector coalition focused on integrating employer perspectives into existing educational initiatives; 2) Building a Biomanufacturing Training Center in Metro Vancouver to address a gap in hands-on training provided to students in biomanufacturing -related fields; 3) Establishing a Life Sciences and Biomanufacturing Cluster in BC, focused on sector's competitive in attracting talent, investment, and collective effort in removing barriers that indirectly affect labour in biomanufacturing.