By Gillian Shaw, The Province | Link to Article
Microsoft plans to more than double its Vancouver workforce with the opening of a new training and development centre that will add 400 new jobs and deliver an estimated annual boost of $90 million to BC’s economy.
By Gillian Shaw, The Province | Link to Article
Microsoft plans to more than double its Vancouver workforce with the opening of a new training and development centre that will add 400 new jobs and deliver an estimated annual boost of $90 million to BC’s economy.
The new Microsoft Canada Excellence Centre will open in late 2015 in a new state-of-the art facility in Vancouver’s Pacific Centre.
Microsoft’s expanded presence will also include ‘Foundry Vancouver,’ a program that will provide 25 students from Canadian universities with paid 16-week internships starting this summer, with plans to expand the program to 50 students.
The jobs, which will focus on Microsoft’s Applications and Services Group, are in addition to the company’s current 350-person workforce in Vancouver. Microsoft products that fall under the group’s responsibilities include Microsoft Office, Office 365, SharePoint, Exchange, Yammer, Lync, Skype, Bing, Bing Apps, MSN and Advertising platforms.
“Vancouver is a vibrant international hub for technology development with growth potential given its attractive location, amenities, reputation and proximity to top British Columbia universities and a highly-educated and diverse workforce and population,” Janet Kennedy, president of Microsoft Canada said in a release. “This investment will enable us to create a world-class center of training and innovation that will have a positive ripple effect across the local, provincial and national economy.”
Microsoft’s workforce expansion will begin this summer, with the addition of approximately 150 new employees, in long-term and rotational positions. The centre will focus on software and services engineering, Microsoft’s Applications and Services Group and programs and solutions management.
Microsoft has been expanding its gaming business in Vancouver, in 2009 acquiring Big Park Studios and launching Black Tusk Studios in 2012. Microsoft’s gaming business in Vancouver accounts for 300 fulltime jobs, with employees working on products and services for Microsoft’s Xbox and the company’s other sectors.
Microsoft’s new investment in Vancouver is expected to total $90 million annually, according to a recent study by Ernst & Young LLP. The report predicts it will generate more than $181.4 million per year in economic growth and new job opportunities.
High tech jobs in BC deliver higher salaries than the average for the province, with the average salary for a high tech worker at $1,440 a week, 60 per cent higher than the provincial average of $870.