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 April 2022:

“Following eight straight months of job gains, employment in British Columbia was little changed in April – decreasing by 2,000 jobs (-0.1%) – as the province continues to lead Canada’s economic recovery.

“This marks 11 straight months when B.C. has led the country in post-pandemic job recovery with 92,500 more people working today than before the pandemic. There are also 49,600 more people working in the private sector now than before the pandemic. This is one of the highest private-sector recovery rates in the country. B.C.’s unemployment rate also continues to be among the lowest in Canada at 5.4%.

“As B.C.’s economy continues to grow and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, we are focused on making sure that no one is left behind, especially as people across Canada and in B.C. feel the effects of new global challenges.

“A key part of this is fighting the systemic racism faced by Indigenous, Black and people of colour. Earlier this week, my colleague Rachna Singh, Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives, brought forward the anti-racism data act to improve government programs and services for more people. This monumental act will help us better understand and address the barriers and inequities that Indigenous, Black and people of colour face when participating in the economy.

“This important initiative will build on B.C.’s commitment to help lift people disproportionately affected by the pandemic. As part of this ongoing work, we’re pleased to see that year over year, Indigenous Peoples’ employment has increased by 20%, an increase of 22,700 jobs – with more to do to ensure the benefits of our recovery are equitably shared.

“In addition to our strong job numbers, B.C. is leading the country in overall GDP growth. New data recently released shows B.C. had the highest real GDP growth of all major provinces in 2021, growing by 6.2%. While many sectors are recovering strongly, some people continue to face challenges. We are determined to continue to use this economic strength to lift people up.

“The past two years have been challenging for everyone in B.C., especially for workers in our health-care sector. In the past two years, B.C. has hired 30,000 new health-care workers, and we have seen the highest growth in health employment of any of the provinces from 2020 to 2021. Nonetheless, health-care workers are burned out and overstretched, and we have much more work to do to address long-standing labour shortages in this sector. We are committed to continuing to bolster the health-care sector through the StrongerBC Economic Plan to support health-care workers and get people the care they need.”

Learn More:

To read about how B.C. is protecting intellectual property, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022JERI0017-000537

To read about the new wood-focused trade office in Vietnam, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022JERI0020-000606

Stronger BC For Everyone: B.C.’s Economic Recovery Plan: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/