Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation, has issued the following statement on the release of Statistics Canada‘s Labour Force Survey for July 2021:

“The Labour Force Survey for July shows for the second consecutive month, British Columbia was the only province in Canada with employment above pre-pandemic levels, with a job recovery rate of 100.5%.

“B.C. has a strong economy with one of the lowest unemployment rates in Canada at 6.6%. We saw a gain of 3,300 full-time jobs and a reduction in part-time jobs by 6,500 last month. With the highest level of per-capita supports for people and businesses in Canada, our job recovery has been solid, led by the Cariboo at 107.4% and the Kootenays at 105.3%. The North Coast-Nechako region has a 103.1% job recovery rate, Vancouver Island is at 102.8%, the Thompson-Okanagan is at 102.6% and the Lower Mainland is at 101.3%.

“July’s data was collected after we entered Step 3 of our Restart plan and reflect increased travel within British Columbia. However, international travel restrictions are limiting growth in some sectors.

“As some industries continue to struggle, others are having difficulty finding the staff they need to meet the growing demand as the economy reopens. Employers tell us that to attract long-term employees, people need access to affordable, reliable child care so they can get back into the labour market. People also need more affordable housing so they don’t have long commutes to work. And they need to be able to get the skills training they need to be active participants in our ever-changing economy.  

“Yesterday, our government announced $95 million for organizations throughout B.C. to provide skills training, employment services and supports for over 9,000 British Columbians. We’re also investing $10 billion in child care, and we continue to make record investments around B.C. to expand affordable housing.

“While our vaccination rates against COVID-19 remain high, we are seeing daily case counts rise. Let’s not drop the baton – our best defence for people, businesses and the economy is getting vaccinated. We all know a healthy B.C. and a healthy economy go hand in hand. I urge all British Columbians to get their vaccine so we can put the pandemic behind us and more fully enjoy the B.C. we know and love.”

Learn More:

Stronger BC: BC’s Economic Recovery Plan: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/