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 2022:

“B.C.’s strong economic recovery and low unemployment rate continue to help lead Canada’s economic outlook.

“The province added 14,900 full-time jobs last month, while our unemployment rate remained historically low at 4.7%.

“In July, B.C. had the most people joining the workforce among major provinces. This also shows in the first-quarter (Q1) update for 2022, where the net-migration for B.C. was 23,889 – the highest Q1 in more than 60 years.

“Because we focused on making investments in people, we are leading Canada’s economic recovery and are well positioned to deal with the challenges of global uncertainty and rising inflation being felt all around the world.

“We know that the record low unemployment rate is contributing to a tight labour market. That’s why, as part of the StrongerBC Economic Plan, we are working to make sure British Columbia is well positioned to fill the one million job openings projected over the next 10 years. With our Future Ready plan, we are investing to make education and training more accessible, affordable and innovative so we can help businesses grow, while preparing British Columbians for the jobs of tomorrow.

“As part of this plan, just this week, our government announced a new $98-million post-secondary campus in downtown Langford; a first-of-its-kind collaboration between multiple universities and colleges.

“We also know employers in key fields, such as health care and child care, need more workers to fill important jobs in B.C. We are training people for these roles, while also working to bring in skilled workers through the Provincial Nominee Program. This program helps address labour shortages in key sectors, such as technology, health care and child care, by providing skilled immigrants with a pathway to permanent residence in B.C.

“To help meet our province’s needs, we are urging the federal government to expand the number of skilled immigrants coming through the B.C. Provincial Nominee Program from 7,000 in 2022 to 10,000 by 2025. This will help address our labour shortage and ensure British Columbians can receive the services they count on.

“Our StrongerBC Economic Plan is designed to meet the challenges of our time by achieving two big goals – clean and inclusive growth – to create a more prosperous B.C. today and for generations to come.

“That’s why, despite the uncertain times we are living in, I remain incredibly optimistic about the future we are building right here in B.C.”

Learn More:

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

Learn more about the new post-secondary campus on the Westshore: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022AEST0049-001199