FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The jobless rate in northeast B.C. rose from 4.8 per cent in June to 5.2 per cent in July, according to Stat Canada’s latest labour force survey.
There were 36,200 residents from northeast B.C. employed in July 2023, an increase of 400 compared to June.
In July 2022, there were 37,000 people employed in the region, which reported an unemployment rate of 4.9 per cent.
B.C.’s unemployment rate was 5.4 per cent in July, an increase of two percentage points compared to June.
Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation Brenda Bailey said the province has the fourth-lowest unemployment rate in the country.
“Notably, we had more youth working this past month and jobs added in the natural resources and tech sectors. Women’s full-time employment remains strong this year with a total gain of 19,300 over the year, which demonstrates our government’s actions on child care support,” said Bailey in a statement.
“July saw nearly 10,000 jobs created in science and technology. Vancouver has also seen impressive job growth for tech talent, with the highest growth rate among 50 North American markets surveyed by CBRE, a commercial real estate firm. The growth rate was 69 per cent, resulting in the creation of 45,200 tech jobs between 2018 and 2022.”
Nationally, the jobless rate increased slightly to 5.5 per cent.
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