British Columbia job growth remains steady as the province gained 3,600 new jobs last month and the unemployment rate dropped to 6.6 per cent. B.C. gained 2,400 full-time positions and added 1,100 part-time jobs.

B.C. ranks second in terms of job gains since June 2011 when compared to other provinces. B.C. has added 53,000 jobs since June 2011, behind only Alberta, which has added 55,400 jobs.

Manufacturing continues to experience steady growth with last month showing strong gains of 10,600 jobs. Other areas of job growth include health care and social assistance (+6,200), business, building and other support services (+4,600), and educational services (+4,100).

B.C.'s unemployment rate of 6.6 per cent is below the national average (7.2 per cent) and is lower than where it was last year, which was 7.2 per cent. As youth employment increased, the unemployment rate for the 15-24 age category declined by 2.3 percentage points from May.

Since September 2011, B.C has gained 23,400 jobs. Full-time positions increased by 26,900, more than offsetting the decline in part-time positions of 3,500. And since February of last year, 61,300 jobs have been added - B.C. gained over 69,200 full-time positions, offset by a loss of 7,900 part-time positions.

Overall, B.C.'s labour force remains steady and now stands at 2,485,800. Compared with one year ago, B.C.'s labour force has increased by 39,000 people.

Regionally, the highest job growth was reported in the Lower Mainland-Southwest, which gained 15,900 positions, and Thompson-Okanagan, which gained 7,800 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 -

"Steady progress this month is a good indicator that we are on the right track. Our government is attracting new investment in times of global economic turbulence, and we are diversifying our exports like never before."

"We are making smart investments in our infrastructure, and working hard to ensure British Columbians have the right training and skills for good jobs to support their families."

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

Contact:

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