Kelowna had second-lowest unemployment rate in nation for December: StatsCan

Kelowna had one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation for the month of December, according to federal data.

On Friday, Statistics Canada released its monthly unemployment data for major centres across the nation. Kelowna had the second-lowest rate, at just 4.5 per cent.

That’s down from 4.7 per cent in November, and not far off December’s low-figure leader: Quebec City at 4.1 per cent.

To put Kelowna’s 4.5 per cent average in perspective, Victoria was at 5.8 per cent, Vancouver was at 7.4 per cent and Abbotsford-Mission was at 8.4 per cent.

Further east, Calgary was at 10.4 per cent and Edmonton was at 11.1 per cent.

The national unemployment rate was 8.6 per cent in December, with B.C. having a provincial average of 7.2 per cent.

4:25 Finance expert provides CERB repayment advice

Below are the December figures posted by Statistics Canada, with November’s stats in brackets.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

National averages

A quick look at Canada’s December employment (numbers from November in brackets):

• Unemployment rate: 8.6 per cent (8.5)
• Employment rate: 59.3 per cent (59.5)
• Participation rate: 64.9 per cent (65.1)
• Number unemployed: 1,755,800 (1,735,200)
• Number working: 18,553,000 (18,615,600)
• Youth (15-24 years) unemployment rate: 17.7 per cent (17.4)
• Men (25 plus) unemployment rate: 7.5 per cent (7.4)
• Women (25 plus) unemployment rate: 6.9 per cent (6.8)

1:52 Alberta’s unemployment rate saw little change amid small businesses struggling to stay afloat

Provincial averages

Jobless rates for December 2020 by province (numbers from November in brackets):

• Newfoundland and Labrador 12.3 per cent (12.2)
• Prince Edward Island 10.1 per cent (10.2)
• Nova Scotia 8.6 per cent (6.4)
• New Brunswick 9.3 per cent (9.6)
• Quebec 6.7 per cent (7.2)
• Ontario 9.5 per cent (9.1)
• Manitoba 8.2 per cent (7.4)
• Saskatchewan 7.8 per cent (6.9)
• Alberta 11.0 per cent (11.1)
• British Columbia 7.2 per cent (7.1)

City averages

Jobless rates for December 2020 by city (numbers from November in brackets):

• St. John’s, N.L. 8.7 per cent (9.3)
• Halifax 7.3 per cent (6.6)
• Moncton, N.B. 9.0 per cent (8.9)
• Saint John, N.B. 11.0 per cent (10.2)
• Saguenay, Que. 5.7 per cent (5.2)
• Quebec City 4.1 per cent (4.3)
• Sherbrooke, Que. 6.0 per cent (6.4)
• Trois-Rivieres, Que. 5.9 per cent (5.7)
• Montreal 8.1 per cent (8.5)
• Gatineau, Que. 7.0 per cent (7.2)
• Ottawa 6.6 per cent (7.1)
• Kingston, Ont. 5.9 per cent (7.2)
• Peterborough, Ont. 13.5 per cent (11.9)
• Oshawa, Ont. 7.8 per cent (7.9)
• Toronto 10.7 per cent (10.7)
• Hamilton, Ont. 8.1 per cent (8.0)
• St. Catharines-Niagara, Ont. 9.1 per cent (7.2)
• Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ont. 8.5 per cent (9.1)
• Brantford, Ont. 6.1 per cent (6.6)
• Guelph, Ont. 5.8 per cent (7.0)
• London, Ont. 7.7 per cent (8.4)
• Windsor, Ont. 11.1 per cent (10.6)
• Barrie, Ont. 12.1 per cent (10.6)
• Greater Sudbury, Ont. 7.7 per cent (7.6)
• Thunder Bay, Ont. 7.6 per cent (7.5)
• Winnipeg 8.4 per cent (8.1)
• Regina 6.3 per cent (5.4)
• Saskatoon 8.1 per cent (7.8)
• Calgary 10.4 per cent (10.7)
• Edmonton 11.1 per cent (11.3)
• Kelowna, B.C. 4.5 per cent (4.7)
• Abbotsford-Mission, B.C. 8.4 per cent (8.1)
• Vancouver 7.4 per cent (8.1)
• Victoria 5.8 per cent (6.3)

— With files from The Canadian Press.