Jobs numbers down in BC

By

VICTORIA (NEWS1130) – Employment in British Columbia fell by 15,900 jobs in January, about 10,000 of that coming from a loss of part-time work.  Employment in BC is now close to where it was one year earlier.

The unemployment rate is 6.3 per cent, down one-tenth of a point as BC’s labour force fell by 19,700.  “Those appear to be mainly in areas like construction [down 6,900]; that’s pretty typical for this time of year.  We’ve been losing numbers in the labour force for some time now.  We think it’s a combination of people moving into retirement, as well as the construction sector which is typically pretty mobile,” says Jobs Minister Pat Bell.

The numbers do not bode well for the Premier’s jobs plan.  “Long-term planning delivers positive results,” explains Bell.  He points to BC’s expansion in the Chinese lumber market, which took 10 years, to support his view, adding “you need to stick to the plan.”

NDP Jobs Critic Jenny Kwan says the province’s jobs plan has been a disaster since it was intoduced last September and the government is just wasting money.  “Millions of dollars of taxpayers money to advertise about what a great job they’re doing and they’ve really got nothing to show for it.  [The jobs plan] in fact showed a reverse trend in the private sector, we actually saw a 37,000 drop in terms of jobs since the jobs plan.”

In Vancouver the unemployment rate is at 6.5 per cent, down from 6.7 per cent last month.  Nationwide, the economy lost 21,900 jobs with the unemployment rate falling one-tenth of a point to seven per cent.

The employment decline mirrors other recent signs of weakness in the Canadian economy, such as falling exports.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today