Kelowna’s jobless rate dropped last month, though it’s still among the highest in B.C., according to the latest from Statistics Canada.
The unemployment rate for March came in at 6.7 per cent, showing an improvement from the 7.1 per cent posted the month earlier. It’s translated to 3,000 people entering the job market.
Comparatively, the national statistics agency said Abbotsford Mission’s unemployment rate was 3.9 per cent, Victoria’s was 4.1 per cent and Vancouver’s was 5.4 per cent.
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Despite its placement in B.C., Kelowna’s job gains align well with what’s happening across the country.
Canada’s unemployment rate dropped to a record-low 5.3 per cent in March, which is the lowest unemployment rate since the agency started tracking comparable data in 1976.
The country added 73,000 jobs in March, a 0.4 per cent rise from February’s figures.
Statistics Canada also says the unemployment rate would have been 7.2 per cent had it included in calculations people who wanted a job but did not look for one.
That’s the first time that rate has fallen to its pre-pandemic level.
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