The jobless rate in British Columbia dropped slightly last month, reaching 13 per cent as the economy continued its rebound from the shutdown triggered by the pandemic.
Finance Minister Carole James, speaking at a Friday morning news conference, said the newly released data from B.C., which captures employment information from June 14 to 20, "paints a picture of cautious optimism, with a long road ahead."
"We continue to see positive signs as a result of B.C.'s restart plan," she said.
According to the data released by Statistics Canada, the unemployment rate slipped by 0.4 per cent in June after rising for three straight months.
The agency said the number of people employed in B.C. rose by 118,000 last month, after an increase of 43,000 in May. The province has continued to lift restrictions put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 in recent weeks, allowing more businesses to reopen.
James said the gains in employment seen in May and June bring back around 40 per cent of the total job losses that B.C. had seen since February. The total net job losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are around 235,000.
She said the greatest overall job losses were in the service sector, but that sector is also seeing the greatest gains, representing 50 per cent of job gains made in June.
Youth unemployment remains a concern
James said an area of major concern remains youth unemployment, which currently stands at 29.1 per cent. In B.C., 45,000 young people found jobs last month — however the youth unemployment rate is up as a result of more people attempting to join the workforce.
Nationally, the economy added 953,000 jobs last month, more than doubling the 290,000 added in May. Despite two months of growth, there are still 1.8 million fewer jobs in Canada than there were in February.
The unemployment rate dropped to 12.3 per cent, down from the record-breaking 13.7 reached in May.
The agency noted men are closer than women to pre-shutdown levels of employment, in every age category.
Jobs in sectors dominated by men, such as construction and manufacturing, have rebounded faster than those in service industries, tourism, and accommodation, where women tend to be employed in bigger proportion.
A further statement on B.C.'s employment numbers is expected next week.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiS2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNiYy5jYS9uZXdzL2NhbmFkYS9icml0aXNoLWNvbHVtYmlhL2JjLWpvYnMtanVuZS0yMDIwLTEuNTY0NDg0M9IBIGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNiYy5jYS9hbXAvMS41NjQ0ODQz?oc=5
2020-07-10 17:21:00Z
CBMiS2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNiYy5jYS9uZXdzL2NhbmFkYS9icml0aXNoLWNvbHVtYmlhL2JjLWpvYnMtanVuZS0yMDIwLTEuNTY0NDg0M9IBIGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNiYy5jYS9hbXAvMS41NjQ0ODQz
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