The jobless rate in Kelowna is not only below than the national average, it’s also one of the lowest in the nation.
On Friday, Statistics Canada released its monthly unemployment rates. The national average was 5.4 per cent, with the Okanagan coming in at 4.2 per cent.
Kelowna’s unemployment rate dropped slightly from April when it was at 4.4 per cent. The national average dropped as well, which was 5.7 per cent in April.
Of the nation’s 34 largest cities, only four cities had lower rates than Kelowna, which was tied with Vancouver (4.2 per cent).
Quebec City had the nation’s lowest unemployment rate at 2.8 per cent, followed by Sherbrooke, Que. (3.4 per cent), Victoria (3.6 per cent) and Saguenay, Que. (4.1 per cent).
The unemployment rate for B.C. was 4.3 per cent, down from 4.6 per cent in April. Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest provincial rate at 11.7 per cent.
The provincial unemployment rate (numbers from the previous month in brackets):
- Newfoundland and Labrador 12.4 per cent (11.7)
- Prince Edward Island 9.0 per cent (8.6)
- Nova Scotia 6.5 per cent (6.9)
- New Brunswick 7.2 per cent (8.0)
- Quebec 5.0 per cent (4.9)
- Ontario 5.2 per cent (6.0)
- Manitoba 5.0 per cent (5.2)
- Saskatchewan 5.2 per cent (5.4)
- Alberta 6.7 per cent (6.7)
- British Columbia 4.3 per cent (4.6)
Jobless rates last month by city (numbers from the previous month in brackets):
- St. John’s, N.L. 8.0 per cent (7.9)
- Halifax 5.2 per cent (5.1)
- Moncton, N.B. 5.9 per cent (5.9)
- Saint John, N.B. 5.8 per cent (5.9)
- Saguenay, Que. 4.1 per cent (4.7)
- Quebec 2.8 per cent (3.3)
- Sherbrooke, Que. 3.4 per cent (3.4)
- Montreal 5.4 per cent (5.4)
- Ottawa 5.5 per cent (5.5)
- Toronto 6.3 per cent (6.6)
- Hamilton, Ont. 4.3 per cent (3.9)
- London, Ont. 5.0 per cent (4.8)
- Thunder Bay, Ont. 5.1 per cent (6.0)
- Winnipeg 5.1 per cent (5.2)
- Regina 4.4 per cent (4.5)
- Saskatoon 6.1 per cent (6.1)
- Calgary 7.0 per cent (7.6)
- Edmonton 6.8 per cent (6.9)
- Kelowna 4.2 per cent (4.4)
- Abbotsford-Mission 5.6 per cent (5.5)
- Vancouver 4.2 per cent (4.4)
- Victoria 3.6 per cent (3.1)
— With files from The Canadian Press
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