Bruce Ralston, Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology, has issued the following statement on the release of Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey for December 2019:

“The December labour market report closes out the 2019 year showing a resilient economy in British Columbia despite uncertainty around the globe.

“Our province’s economy set the standard across Canada last year with the nation’s lowest unemployment, high GDP growth and strong wage increases.

“Investing in people paid off for British Columbians in 2019 with average wages increasing by $1.52 an hour, the highest wage growth in Canada. Since we formed government in July 2017, B.C. has created over 60,000 jobs and wages have increased by more than $3 an hour, improving the standard of living for British Columbians.

“Once again, B.C. had the lowest unemployment rate in Canada for the month of December, decreasing to 4.8%. British Columbia has held Canada’s lowest unemployment rate for 28 of the 29 months in which our government has been in power.

“Looking ahead, private forecasts expect B.C. to lead the country in economic growth again in 2020, thanks in part to the Province’s strong investments in infrastructure.”