Top job opportunities with a Bachelor of Commerce degree

Reasons to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce degree

The Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree is an undergraduate program that prepares students for entrepreneurship and employment in today’s competitive corporate world with skills and knowledge of business administration and management from a broad perspective. The scope of BCom programs is designed to help students develop managerial and analytical skills, financial literacy, business acumen, leadership skills and more.

The BCom degree yields graduates with impressive employment opportunities in Canada and across the world in sought-after fields, including accounting and finance, economics, banking and insurance, marketing, human resources, investment management, information technology and law.

Business, commerce and trade are often among the top players in any country’s economy, leading to an infinite number of bachelor of commerce jobs for graduates in both the private and public sectors.

The employment opportunities for this degree also lead to averagely high compensation packages for workers in the field. While the salary of jobs for BCom graduates varies and is based on factors like the level of academic qualifications, years of professional experience, area of employment and area of specialization, the average annual salary in Canada starts at $62,000.

In addition, a BCom degree sets the foundation for further specialized education. While graduates of a BCom degree can immediately start working after completing their program, the degree provides a platform for pursuing educational advancement opportunities, including a Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Commerce (MCom) or Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation.

Job opportunities for Bachelor of Commerce graduates

Here are five potential BCom degree jobs.

1. Tax accountant

Tax accountants develop strategies to minimize income tax and other forms of taxation according to legal standards for a company in-house or clients with an agency. In their role, tax accountants help their clients with yearly tax returns and ensure that all forms and paperwork are completed and filed by the deadline. The main goal of a tax accountant is to help clients increase savings and avoid penalties.

Common duties for tax accountants include:

• Examining financial statements
• Organizing financial records
• Creating budget plans
• Inspecting accounting systems

The annual provincial median salary for a tax accountant is $61,713.

2. Financial accountant

Another popular branch of accounting is financial accounting. Financial accountants are responsible for the public reporting of an organization’s financial status by collecting and maintaining data, detecting trends and forecasting future financial needs. They also manage a wide range of paperwork, including income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, general ledgers and journal entries.

Financial accountant duties include:

• Creating monthly income statements and balance sheet reports
• Providing guidance on project funding estimates
• Creating weekly financial flow figures and keeping expenditures and cash flow under control
• Coordinating annual audits and conducting analyses of financial reports

The annual provincial median salary for a financial accountant is $61,713.

3. Business analyst

Business analysts collaborate with company leaders and stakeholders to make recommendations for improved business efficiency. In their role, they act advisors

to a business, helping them analyze their products, services, systems and processes to make improvements. Business analysts also make strategic enhancements, such as integrating the company’s operations with technology.

Duties and responsibilities of a business analyst include:

• Solving current and potential problems with data-driven solutions
• Presenting findings upon implementation of suggested changes
• Budgeting and forecasting
• Performing variance analyses

The annual provincial median salary of a business analyst is $77,167.

4. Logistics manager

Logistics managers are responsible for an organization’s supply chain, as they decide how and when a business purchases inventory and how to distribute it. The role of a logistics manager includes strategically procuring, transporting and storing materials, parts, finished inventory and other related assets.

Responsibilities of a logistics manager include:

• Keeping an accurate inventory of storage warehouses for product materials
• Managing importing and exporting processes
• Establishing and building business relationships with clients and product suppliers
• Negotiating shipping rates with product carriers
• Setting up and keeping inbound and outbound shipment schedules

The annual provincial median salary of a logistics manager is $83,424.

5. Market research analysts

Market research analysts contribute to the success of a product, service or campaign using a variety of data collection methods and statistics. They study markets and perform research on customer behaviours to help businesses improve their marketing techniques and increase sales with strategies like data mining, analyses and surveying consumers.

Market research analysts are responsible for:

• Monitoring and making predictions of sales trends
• Performing product tests to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a company’s offerings
• Analyzing consumer behaviours to provide insights into target audiences
• Researching company competitors and determining the success of their strategies

The annual provincial median salary of a market research analyst is $69,513.

Bachelor of Commerce program at University Canada West

The Bachelor of Commerce program at University Canada West provides students with a broad foundation of knowledge of contemporary business and its practices. The program at UCW is ACBSP-accredited and prepares students for a successful career in business or management on a global scale.

UCW’s program has also received the NCMA designation from CIM | Chartered Managers Canada.

Graduates of UCW’s BCom program will be able to use managerial and financial tools to assess business issues critically, research and analyze business systems, create ethically and legally sound proposals and much more in their future bachelor degree jobs.

For more information on the Bachelor of Commerce degree program at UCW, visit ucanwest.ca/undergraduate-programs/bachelor-of-commerce.