Minister of State for Tourism and Small Business Naomi Yamamoto released the following statement to proclaim Co-op Week in British Columbia (Oct. 13-19, 2013)

Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour Shirley Bond has issued the following statement in response to the July 2013 Labour Force Survey:

Thirty eight First Nations individuals will receive forestry-specific training and work experience through a $500,000 Labour Market Sector Solutions (LMSS) partnership between the B.C. government, the First Nations Forestry Council and industry partners.

The Province of B.C. is investing $4,990,536 to extend a successful youth employment program to March 31, 2014, which will allow an additional 1,153 participants to take part in the program.

Premier Christy Clark and forestry sector leaders committed to working together to identify and address the industry's skilled workforce needs and more on-the-job training for British Columbians.

Premier Christy Clark announced that government is investing $8.4 million to build new markets for B.C. wood products at home and in major markets around the globe, including China and India.

Along with the majority of Canada, B.C. experienced a decline in full-time employment in March.

152,620 job openings are expected in the Vancouver Island/Coast region to 2020; about 23% of these (34,550) are expected to be newly created jobs.

An estimated 400 million viewers in India and around the globe will be focused on Vancouver as the inaugural Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) takes place this weekend.