Northeast B.C. records 5% unemployment rate in May

Northeast B.C.’s unemployment rate slightly increased to 5 per cent in May.

There were 36,300 northeast residents employed in May after an increase of 700 jobs compared to April. With a labour force of 38,100, 1,900 were unemployed in May.

Last year, 38,600 were employed in the region, and the unemployment rate was at 4.5 per cent.

B.C.’s unemployment rate dropped 0.9 percentage points to a three-year low of 4.5 per cent from 5.4 per cent in April.

On Friday, Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, issued a statement about May’s labour force survey, stating the province continues to lead Canada’s economic recovery with the addition of 5,100 new jobs in May.

“This is a significant improvement from 5.4 per cent in April 2022 and 7.0 per cent from a year ago in May, 2021. There are now nearly 100,000 more people working in B.C. than prior to the pandemic.,” said Kahlon.

Nationally, the jobless rate slightly decreased by 5.1 per cent. Employment rose by 40,000 in May.