*** BC’s public sector has grown nearly four times faster than its population *** In 2019, BC’s public sector employed about 418,000 people. Today it employs about 612,000, an increase of 46.4%. Over the same period, private-sector jobs grew just 3.3% and the population grew about 12%. If the public sector had grown at the same pace as the population, it would employ about 468,000 people today instead of 612,000. That’s a gap of roughly 143,000 jobs. At an average total compensation of $90,000–$93,000, those jobs cost about $13 billion a year, or roughly $2,280 per resident. BC’s projected deficit for 2026/27 is $13.8 billion (First Quarterly Report, September 2026). Source: (BCBC/Fraser Institute/StatsCan)