Employment numbers in British Columbia remained steady with a very slight decline in May after strong growth in April. Despite the slight decline, B.C. has added 24,700 jobs so far in 2012.

A reported increase in the unemployment rate is mainly due to more people, mainly youth, joining the labour force to look for work. May's unemployment rate of 7.4 per cent is still lower than where it was last year, which was 7.5 per cent.

B.C. has the fourth-highest average hourly rate for youth under 25, sitting at $13.57, an increase of 1.2 per cent compared with May 2011.

Since September 2011, B.C has gained 19,800 jobs. Full-time positions increased by 24,500, more than offsetting the decline in part-time positions of 4,500. And since February of last year, 57,700 jobs have been added - B.C. gained over 66,000 full-time positions, offset by a loss of 4,700 part-time positions.

British Columbia ranks second compared to other provinces, in terms of job gains since May 2011. B.C. has added 43,400 jobs since May 2011, behind Alberta (gained 84,500 jobs). B.C. is followed by Ontario (+ 32,900 jobs), Quebec (+12,500 jobs) and Saskatchewan (+9,800 jobs). All other provinces have gained less than 7,500 jobs since May 2011.

Overall, B.C.'s labour force increased by 30,500 people last month and now stands at 2,503,600. Compared with one year ago, B.C.'s labour force has increased by 43,000 people.

Regionally, Lower Mainland-Southwest gained 18,000 positions, Thompson-Okanagan gained 3,000 positions and Cariboo gained 1,000 positions. While there were some losses in the rest of the province, the overall provincial gains show tremendous progress for B.C. and are a positive sign that investments made and work done under 'Canada Starts Here: The BC Jobs Plan' are working.

Quotes:

Pat Bell, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation -

"The economy is still fragile and unpredictable, but overall we continue to see solid growth in the number of new jobs in British Columbia."

"Through the BC Jobs Plan, we remain committed to creating a safe harbour for investment and a healthy business environment. We're also investing in a skilled work force through better education and immigration policies, ensuring that we're ready for the one million job openings expected over the next decade."

Learn More:

Visit the Province's one-stop working resource: http://www.workbc.ca
Canada Starts Here: The BC Jobs Plan: http://www.bcjobsplan.ca

Media Contact:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation
250 356-7104