Provincial jobs increase despite economic headwinds

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation has released the Labour Force Survey results for June, showcasing an overall increase in jobs across the province. 

“In the face of high interest rates and slower global economic growth, B.C. is holding steady,” Brenda Bailey, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation, said. 

According to data released on July 5th, the province has gained a total of 72,300 jobs since June 2023. 

Since May 2024, 5,000 private sector jobs have been gained, with over 47,700 jobs added to the private sector in the last year. This is the second-largest increase among provinces last year. 

Data also shows an increase of 14,000 wholesale and retail trade jobs, 3,200 business, building, and assorted support services jobs, and 6,900 construction jobs. 

“Growth in construction and building jobs is encouraging news for our housing sector and B.C.’s work to build more homes for people,” Bailey said. 

The province has also gained 30,000 healthcare and social assistance jobs, including 92 cancer-care physicians, 71 oncologists, and 32 radiation therapists. 

These cancer-specific hires are a part of the 10-Year Cancer Care Action Plan the province launched last year. The plan is intended to build capacity and access to cancer-care services across B.C. to meet the growing need for cancer treatment. 

The provincial unemployment and youth unemployment rates remain the second lowest among provinces, at 5.2 per cent unemployment and 10.2 per cent youth unemployment, respectively. 

“While youth employment is down across the country, we have the largest year-over-year increase in youth employment among all provinces at 13,100,” Bailey said. 

The data also shows that B.C. had the highest average hourly wage in June and the highest GDP growth among large provinces since 2017, at 16.9 per cent.

“Our government has been following our Industrial Blueprint and working collaboratively across all sectors to seize opportunities, drive growth, and create jobs in the clean-energy and clean-industry sectors,” Bailey said. 

Regional statistics should be available on the provincial website later today.

Energeticcity.ca will update this story as these statistics become available.