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Impact of Foreign Direct Investment in British Columbia

Are you curious about the powerful impact foreign direct investment (FDI) has on the BC economy? Dive into Invest Vancouver’s report, released in November 2024, to uncover key insights and findings.

Read the full report

What’s inside?

This report sheds light on how FDI is driving employment and economic growth in BC, offering a roadmap for even more effective investment attraction strategies. Building on our 2022 analysis, this report dives deep into the impact foreign multinational enterprises (MNEs) have on sectors like professional, technical, and scientific services and the ripple effect on local businesses.

What is an MNE?
A multinational enterprise is a company that has operations in more than one country. Invest Vancouver’s research is specifically about the activities of foreign MNEs, firms in Canada controlled by a foreign parent (i.e. greater than 50% foreign ownership of voting shares). Examples of companies that have significant operations in BC but are headquartered in another country include Microsoft, Electronic Arts, Fujitsu, the Walt Disney Company, and cellcentric.

Key Highlights

From 2016 to 2022, in BC:

Foreign MNE employment grew by 46.3%, the fastest growth rate in Canada.
Foreign MNE jobs in the well-paying professional, scientific, and technical services sector increased by a remarkable 191%.
By home country, Sweden (+886%) and China (+832%) were the fastest growing sources of foreign MNE employment. The US (+41%) remains the largest source, accounting for about two-thirds of all foreign MNE jobs.

Short on time? The full highlights are just a click away: our report summary gives you the top insights at a glance.

Download report summary

About Invest Vancouver

Invest Vancouver is Metro Vancouver’s regional economic development service. By working to secure strategic investment, promote the region to a global audience, and advise decision-makers through forward-thinking economic research and policy analysis, Invest Vancouver is amplifying opportunity and advancing shared prosperity for residents of the region.

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Invest Vancouver acknowledges that the region’s residents live, work, and learn on the shared territories of many Indigenous Peoples, including 10 local First Nations: q̓ic̓əy̓(Katzie), q̓ʷɑ:n̓ƛ̓ən̓ (Kwantlen), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), máthxwi (Matsqui), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), Semiahmoo, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), scəw̓aθən məsteyəxʷ (Tsawwassen) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh).

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