Unemployment sits at 5 per cent in northeast as provincial economy grows

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C.  — Despite a decline in the employment rate in November 2024 compared to last year in northeastern B.C., Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation Diana Gibson says the province’s economy is “showing strength” on the whole.

The provincial unemployment rate is reportedly down to just 5.7 per cent in November, according to the latest Labour Force Survey results released by Statistics Canada.

Gibson says that’s the second-lowest unemployment rate among the provinces, and “well below” the national average of 6.8 per cent.

In the northeast, the unemployment rate is even lower, at 5.0 per cent. Unemployment data from 2023 is unavailable, but the employment rate is down at 63.4 per cent compared to 66.9 per cent last November.

The total number of employed people currently sits at 36,200 in the northeast, with 1,900 unemployed. Last year there were 37,600 employed people in the northeast in November.

“Our government is working hard to deliver an economy that pays people well and reduces costs, including creating good jobs in your community with wages growing faster than inflation,” Gibson says.

Gibson also encourages people across the province to shop locally for the holidays to support the local economy.

“On average, local businesses recirculate $63 out of every $100 back into our province, compared to just $14 recirculated by multinational corporations,” she says.

“Locally owned independent businesses spend approximately 30% of their revenue on B.C. products and services, while also creating more than eight times the jobs per square foot than multinationals.”

Overall, British Columbia gained 1,400 new jobs, according to the survey results, all from full-time job growth.