British Columbia’s unemployment rate is at 4.6 per cent roughly halfway through 2022, according to the latest labour force survey results from Statistics Canada.
It’s a decrease from 6.4 per cent unemployment in the province this time last year.
The survey shows unemployment rose 6.2 per cent in Vancouver over the past month, compared to less than half a per cent in Toronto.
According to B.C. Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon, however, the province gained 6,100 new jobs in June.
“We know that many people in British Columbia are struggling as they see costs going up and worry about what the future may hold for them and their family,” he said in a Friday news release.
“There is a lot of global uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine and the ongoing effects of the pandemic. These issues have caused global inflation, which has increased the overall cost of living in regions around the world, including Canada.”
Kahlon said the province is “well-positioned” to deal with these challenges, and is introducing a number of measures to lower costs for residents, including free public transit for kids 12 and under, and lowering the cost of vehicle insurance.
Nationwide, Canada posted its first monthly loss of jobs since start of the year in June.
Statistics Canada said the country lost 43,000 jobs last month, but the unemployment rate fell to 4.9 per cent, the lowest level since comparable data started in 1976, and compared with 5.1 per cent in May.
The decline in the unemployment rate in June was attributed to fewer people looking for work, Statistics Canada said, while the loss in jobs was driven by a decline in self-employment by 59,000 jobs.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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