BC Stats Infoline
Edition: April 13-17, 2020
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Minister’s statement on trade mission
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Minister’s statement on trade mission
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Premier's statement marking one year since the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc’s residential school findings
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Infoline Highlights for the Week of April 13-17
Employment Insurance - The number of people receiving employment insurance (EI) benefits in British Columbia decreased by 1,470 (‑3.4%) in February compared to January, to reach 41,570 individuals. The decrease was mostly driven by a decline in male recipients (-1,130 persons or -5.0%), while the number of female recipients also saw a drop in the month (-150 persons or ‑0.9%).
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Manufacturing Sales - B.C. manufacturing sales (seasonally adjusted) increased 3.7% in February compared to January. The gain was mostly attributable to higher sales in the wood product (+5.8%), non-metallic mineral product (+26.5%), fabricated metal product (+8.7%) and paper (+7.5%) manufacturing industries.
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Gross Domestic Product Flash Estimate - Statistics Canada continues to make efforts to provide information on the impacts of COVID-19 on the economy in a timely manner. For this purpose, a flash estimate of Canadian gross domestic product (GDP) was released today.
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MLS Home Sales - In March, there were 6,717 residential units sold in British Columbia, an increase of 17.2% from the same month last year. Meanwhile, residential prices went up by 15.1% to reach $789,548. Overall, the value of home sales grew by 35.0% compared to March 2019.
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- There were 17.2% more residential home sales in B.C. in March than in March 2019, with prices also increasing 15.1% during this period.
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Current Surveys
- B.C. Electric Vehicle Market Research Survey
- BC Hydro Workforce Profile Survey
- BC Public Service Exit Survey
- BC Public Service New Job Survey
- BC Smoking Cessation Program
- BC Student Outcomes Survey of Apprenticeship and Trades Training Students
- BC Student Outcomes Survey of Diploma, Associate Degree and Certificate Students
- K-12 School Food Survey
- Liquor Distribution Branch Work Environment Survey
- Workforce Development Agreement Outcomes
- Workforce Development Agreement Employer Outcomes
You can read more about any of these by visiting our Current Surveys page.

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Did You Know
Temporary foreign workers play a key role in Canada's agricultural sector. In 2018, they held 54,734 jobs on Canadian farms (up 12.7% from 2016), primarily in Ontario (25,611), Quebec (14,653) and B.C. (9,514).
Source: Statistics Canada
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Headlines
- Fewer people in B.C. were collecting employment insurance benefits in February from the month before.
- Manufacturing sales increased in February from January.
- GDP flash estimates suggest that Canada's economy contracted significantly in March.

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Released last week by BC Stats
- No releases
This week
- Consumer Price Index
