BC’s jobless rate up four-tenths of a point to 6.7%
Posted August 9, 2013 7:00 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – BC lost nearly 12,000 jobs in July, all of them part-time, even as full-time employment rose.
Statistics Canada says part-time employment fell by 17,800, while 6,100 full-time positions were added. The numbers are adjusted for seasonal variations.
BC’s unemployment rate rose four-tenths of a point to 6.7 per cent.
The national employment situation remains volatile. StatsCan says 39,400 jobs were lost, led by the government and youth sectors, pushing the unemployment rate a tenth of a point higher to 7.2 per cent. It was the second consecutive monthly loss of jobs.
Joblessness in the 15-to-24 age group rose a tenth of a point to 13.9 per cent.
The agency said a whopping cut of 74,000 in the public sector, mostly in health care, social assistance and administration, was the main reason for the poor July labour market performance.
Private employers actually added 31,400 jobs during the month.
The average monthly job gain this year is 6,000, far below the nearly 28,000 per month of last year.
