Unemployment on the rise in the northeast, says Statistics Canada

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Unemployment in northeastern B.C. rose significantly from the end of 2024 to the beginning of 2025, according to Statistics Canada.

The national agency’s latest Labour Force Survey results say the unemployment rate in the northeast in January 2025 was 6.3 per cent, up from 4.6 per cent in December of 2024.

It’s also a sharp increase from the 4.7 per cent unemployment rate reported in the region in January of 2024. A total of 35,800 people in the region were reportedly employed in January, down from 37,200 in December.

The unemployment rate in B.C. as a whole rose very slightly, from 5.9 per cent in December to 6 per cent in January. That’s one of the lowest reported by any province in Canada, and below the national unemployment rate of 6.6 per cent.

Minister of jobs, economic development and innovation Diana Gibson says the province is working to fast-track several major economic projects to create jobs throughout all of B.C., including the northeast.

In addition to those projects being fast-tracked, the province announced new legislation on February 6th that would see the permitting and regulatory process for solar and wind projects – like those being built in the Peace region – streamlined.

“We are fast-tracking major economic projects to deliver good-paying, family-supporting jobs throughout the entire province, and we are working hard to get B.C. goods to new markets, including the ongoing push to knock down trade barriers within Canada,” Gibson says.

B.C. reportedly gained 10,300 private-sector jobs in January, the third most out of any province. It also gained 19,900 new full-time jobs since December, the second most among the provinces.

The survey also says BC boasts the highest average hourly wage among provinces, at $37.53 per hour.

The national unemployment rate of 6.6 per cent is a 0.1 per cent decline from December.

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