British Columbia has set a goal of creating 400,000 tech jobs over the next decade under the Look West economic plan. It's an ambitious goal, but an achievable one. At a time when Canada is redefining its economic relationship with the United States, building a homegrown tech sector has never been more urgent. The province has world-class universities, a thriving startup ecosystem, and a quality of life that draws global talent.

But the latest numbers are a wake-up call. In March 2026, employment dropped by 19,200 jobs, the steepest decline in the country, pushing unemployment to 6.7%, its highest level in a decade (outside the pandemic).

While the province’s strategy of creating new tech jobs points in the right direction, two bureaucratic bottlenecks are quietly costing B.C. jobs, tax revenue, and its reputation as a place where tech businesses can thrive. The good news? Both are easy and cheap to fix.

Tech companies across B.C. are receiving warning letters from Engineers and Geoscientists BC telling them their employees are in non-compliance because those employees use the title "software engineer" without being registered with the regulator.

This is a problem of regulation failing to keep pace with reality. The title "software engineer" is standard across the global technology industry. It appears on LinkedIn profiles, job postings, and business cards from Silicon Valley to Singapore. The licensing regime it currently falls under was designed for disciplines where public safety genuinely requires oversight (for example, structural engineers, electrical engineers), not for software developers writing apps or building platforms.

Alberta recognized this and introduced a targeted carve-out allowing the title without requiring professional licensure. The result was immediate: Alberta became more competitive for tech talent overnight. Yet B.C. — home to more tech workers than Alberta — has yet to follow.

A simple amendment to the Professional Governance Act would bring the province in line with global industry norms, remove an unnecessary compliance burden, and send a clear signal that B.C. is open for tech business. It costs nothing. It requires no new spending. It's a regulatory clarification that could be done this session.

If the first issue is about clarity, the second is about speed.

Under the Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act, recruitment agencies must obtain a provincial licence before placing international candidates. The intent behind the licensing requirement is reasonable — protecting vulnerable workers from exploitation. But highly paid, in-demand tech workers are not the workers this legislation was designed to protect. No other province in Canada requires this extra step. Licence processing currently stretches beyond three months.

For a startup trying to hire a senior developer, or a scale-up competing for AI talent, 15 weeks isn't a waiting period—it's a lost hire. Talk to any B.C. tech founder and you'll hear the same story: a candidate who accepted an offer elsewhere while the paperwork sat in a queue. Candidates don't wait. They take offers from Ontario companies or U.S. firms that can onboard them in days. Every one of those departures represents economic value that flows out of B.C.

Consider the math: roughly 20 percent of Canada's 50,000 annual tech arrivals intend to work in B.C. A senior tech worker contributes an estimated $10,000 per month to GDP. Even modest delays across thousands of candidates add up to hundreds of millions in lost economic activity—money that could have been taxed, spent in local communities, and reinvested in B.C. businesses.

The current system also favours large multinationals over domestic innovators. Between 2017 and 2025, Amazon alone submitted 1,400 of B.C.'s 6,389 total Global Talent Stream applications—nearly 22 percent. Streamlining recruitment licensing would level the playing field for the Canadian companies actually building B.C.'s tech sector.

The fix is straightforward. Either expedite licence processing to a maximum of five business days, or exempt candidates already cleared through the Global Talent Stream, who have already been vetted by Ottawa. Adding a provincial delay on top serves no protective purpose. Alternatively, deploy AI tools to accelerate processing — a fitting solution for a government trying to build a tech economy.

Neither of these fixes requires significant government spending. One is a regulatory clarification. The other is an administrative process change. Both are fully within the province's power to implement quickly.

B.C. has shown it can move decisively — the International Credentials Recognition Act, which came into force in 2024, streamlined pathways for internationally trained professionals. That same pragmatic approach should guide these reforms.

The government has the opportunity to deliver quick wins that align policy with ambition. It should take it.

Kiersten Enemark is the Director of B.C. Affairs at the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI). CCI represents more than 170 of Canada’s fastest-growing technology companies. Founded in 2015, CCI advocates for policies that help Canadian innovators scale globally, create prosperity at home, and strengthen Canada’s economic sovereignty.