Job prospects Forklift Truck Operator in British Columbia

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "forklift truck operator" in British Columbia or across Canada.

Job opportunities in British Columbia

The recent trends from the past 3 years were updated on July 25, 2025. The job outlooks over the next 3 years were updated on December 10, 2025.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be Limited for material handlers (NOC 75101) in British Columbia for the 2025-2027 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to a few new positions.
• A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

Demand for this occupation is driven by conditions (i.e. 

international trade policy) in wholesale trade, manufacturing, and the transportation and warehousing sectors. Key trends in this occupation include robotics (Autonomous Mobile Robots) and automation (Automated Guided Vehicles) for packing and palletizing. 

Machine Learning (ML) allows systems and robots to learn and adapt to changes in warehouse environments. 

In June 2025, Amazon opened the 825K sq. 

ft. 

YXX1 warehouse in Pitt Meadows. 

The facility employs over 100 people and serves as a logistics hub for shipping products throughout the Lower Mainland region.

Here are some key facts about material handlers in British Columbia:

• Approximately 30,100 people work in this occupation.
• Material handlers mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Other retail stores (NAICS 44-45, except 445): 18%
  • Other transportation and warehousing (NAICS 482-483, 486, 487, 493): 16%
  • Wholesale trade (NAICS 41): 16%
  • Truck transportation (NAICS 484): 8%
  • Computer systems design services (NAICS 5415): 7%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 83% compared to 78% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 17% compared to 22% for all occupations
• 59% of material handlers work all year, while 41% work only part of the year, compared to 61% and 39% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 41 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
• Less than 5% of material handlers are self-employed compared to an average of 17% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 81% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: 19% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: 16% compared to 8% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 49% compared to 28% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 9% compared to 13% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 11% compared to 17% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 12% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 12% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in British Columbia by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Labour market conditions over the next 10 years

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