Waterfront workforce and cargo have grown more than 70% as Canada's West Coast ports continue to modernize, new report finds

The active waterfront workforce grew by roughly 3,600 longshore workers and forepersons between 2009 and 2025, a period in which payroll hours rose 83% and waterfront wages reached record levels

VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 16, 2026 /CNW/ -- The waterfront workforce at Canada's West Coast ports grew by more than 70% between 2009 and 2025, adding roughly 3,600 new longshore workers and forepersons. Over the same period, cargo volumes moving through Canada's West Coast ports also grew by more than 70%, according to a new report released today by the BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA).

Technology, Training and Job Growth at Canada's West Coast Ports, 2009 to 2025

The report, Technology, Training & Job Growth at Canada's West Coast Ports, 2009 to 2025, prepared by KPMG LLP for the BCMEA, examines what technological modernization has meant for B.C.'s waterfront workforce. It finds that the introduction of technology – including remotely operated, semi-automated, and automated equipment – expanded rail capacity, and modern planning systems have been accompanied by growth in cargo, employment, hours, and earnings, rather than the job loss often assumed to follow such technological modernization.

Payroll hours rose 83% over the same period and waterfront wages reached record levels in 2025. The growth in hours illustrates that there is more overall work being done and an increase of well-paying jobs on the waterfront.

The findings arrive as Canada works to safeguard Canadian jobs and the economy by doubling exports to non-U.S. markets by 2035 – a commitment that depends on increasing the capacity and reliability of West Coast gateways. Canada's West Coast ports move $1.1 billion worth of cargo a day, handling nearly half of the country's trade with markets outside North America. The report's central finding is clear: modernization to date has helped grow both cargo volumes and B.C.'s waterfront workforce. Further investment will be essential to build on that record, expanding capacity, supporting more waterfront work and helping Canadian exporters reach new markets.

The report also cites unique features of B.C.'s waterfront that explain why modernization has changed the nature of the work rather than eliminating it.

Waterfront workers are not tied to a single employer or job. They choose when they work and accept assignments with a variety of terminals based on operational need, qualifications and availability. Because the labour pool is shared across employers, work that changes at one area often continues elsewhere. This allows modernization to change the nature of the work without eliminating access to employment opportunities.

That flexibility is reinforced by what the parties have negotiated over the past sixty years. Technological change has been managed through a negotiated framework in the collective agreements between the BCMEA, its member employers, and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union of Canada (ILWU Canada) and its locals (Longshore), and with ILWU Local 514 under a separate collective agreement for forepersons (Forepersons). The agreements include a lump sum allowance payment beyond pension benefits for retiring workers, retraining provisions for affected workers, and a New Technology Committee of employers and union representatives that reviews significant proposed modernization prior to implementation.

Underlying these commitments is continuous investment into training and upskilling the workforce. Since 2010, waterfront employers have invested over $377 million in training and upskilling, inclusive of over $45 million in the BCMEA's Waterfront Training Centre. The BCMEA delivers nearly 200 training programs that enable workers to earn new qualifications and adapt as equipment and processes evolve.

Modernization has also shifted how and where work is done, contributing to improved safety and health outcomes. Remote operations allow for equipment to be controlled from spacious, climate-controlled environments, platform trucks eliminate the need to climb onto rail cars and automated safety systems stop equipment when workers are in hazard zones. The report finds the result is less exposure to moving equipment and fall hazards, and work that is less physically demanding, leading to roles that can be sustained over longer careers.

The report examines three modernization projects at B.C.'s terminals, including DP World's Centerm Expansion Project, GCT's Deltaport Rail Modernization Project and Neptune Bulk Terminals' Allison Project, and describes how technology supported additional capacity, work opportunities and changing skill requirements.

"Over the past sixteen years, Canada's West Coast ports have increased cargo volumes and workers by over 70%. It is a remarkable story of growth," said Mike Leonard, President and CEO, BC Maritime Employers Association. "Modernization on B.C.'s waterfront allows us to move more Canadian cargo, investing in the people who move it, and keeps Canada's largest trade gateway competitive. When it is done in collaboration with the workforce, capacity-oriented modernization initiatives can improve safety and reliability while supporting sustained workforce growth and skill development."

BACKGROUND

Key findings from the report include growth in:

• Workforce: The active waterfront workforce, comprising longshore workers and forepersons grew from approximately 5,100 in 2009 to approximately 8,700 in 2025, roughly 3,600 new workers.
• Skills: The number of forepersons increased by 95% province-wide over the same period, reflecting growth in supervisory, coordination and technical roles.
• Hours: Total payroll hours rose 83%, from approximately 4.9 million in 2009 to approximately 9 million in 2025.
• Cargo: Between 2009 – 2025 cargo volumes at Canada's West Coast ports increased 70%.
• Wages: Between 2015 and 2025, median earnings increased by 46.5% for longshore workers. In 2025, median earnings for union longshore workers was $162,521 and $273,936 for forepersons.
• Training: Since 2010, waterfront employers have invested $377 million in training and upskilling, including wages, capital expenditure and program delivery, including more than $45 million in the Waterfront Training Centre. Approximately 150 programs related to machinery training, new technology and processes are planned for 2026.
• Case studies: The report examines three terminal modernization projects: DP World Centerm, Neptune Bulk Terminals' Allison Project, and GCT Deltaport's rail modernization.

Read the full KPMG report, Technology, Training & Job Growth at Canada's West Coast Ports, 2009 to 2025, at bcmaritime.com/impact/technology-and-the-waterfront/

BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) represents approximately 48 private waterfront employers and, by extension, the more than 9,400 people they directly employ. The BCMEA member companies are a vital part of the BC economy and a mainstay of the coastal community. Operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, their members are ship owners and agents, stevedores and terminal operators that power B.C.'s ports. The BCMEA helps optimize their members' operations by providing expertise in training and safety, workforce operations and dispatch, labour relations and data analytics.

SOURCE BC Maritime Employers Association

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