Jobs and Economic Growth
Summary
- Despite overall losses, B.C. sees growth in construction, manufacturing and self-employment
- B.C. continues to be a national leader with the second-highest average hourly wage in Canada
- Since 2017, B.C. leads all large provinces in GDP growth, and has the country’s highest capital investment growth
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Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth, has released the following statement about the release of Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey for March 2026:
“U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the war in Iran are significantly impacting the global economy and causing supply chain issues all over the world, and people and businesses are feeling the effects.
“Here in British Columbia, we are laser-focused on ensuring the right conditions are in place, in partnership with the private sector, to grow a more sustainable economy that’s less reliant on outside forces.
“That includes building the major projects that produce and sell the natural resources that B.C. has, and the world needs, and powering those projects with clean, renewable energy.
“Despite overall losses last month as we see the impacts of Trump’s tariffs hitting B.C., today’s Labour Force Survey shows that B.C.’s economy is showing signs of strength in a number of key sectors, with 3,700 more jobs in manufacturing and 2,800 more jobs in construction. In addition, self-employment was up by 13,300, which reflects people’s confidence in starting their own businesses.
“In the past year, B.C. has gained 11,500 construction jobs, which is a positive trend and demonstrates the work underway to build the major projects and infrastructure we need to grow our economy. Employment in agriculture is also up 8,900 jobs over the past year.
“B.C.’s unemployment rate is 6.7%, in line with the national average, reflecting the broader economic pressures being felt across Canada and around the world from Trump’s tariffs and conflict in the Middle East.
“Since 2017, B.C. has led all large provinces in GDP growth, has the country’s highest per-capita growth in capital investment, and the highest wage growth.
“As we move toward summer, we’re expecting to see more construction jobs created in the coming months.
“This includes more than 1,600 full-time jobs during the construction of Woodfibre LNG and Cedar LNG projects along with pre-construction work on the North Coast Transmission Line, which is expected to begin in the next few months. At peak construction, the North Coast Transmission Line will employ an estimated 1,600 workers.
“And as the war in Iran significantly impacts natural resource supply and demand, our government is pleased to see LNG Canada and Coastal GasLink recently announcing that they entered into commercial agreements, an important milestone in advancing Phase 2 for both those projects.
“This would allow Canada to take an even bigger role on the global energy stage, and provide additional revenue to B.C. that would help pay for the education, health care, police and social services that people depend on.
“Through budget 2026, we’re helping more people train for good-paying careers in the skilled trades through $283 million in new funding over three years.
“And as part of our Look West strategy, we’re aiming to double our exports to non-U.S. countries and the amount of goods that move through our ports.
“We’ll continue working every day to support a growing economy that creates good jobs and opportunities for people and businesses throughout B.C.”
Learn More:
- To learn more about B.C.’s response to tariffs, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/tariffs
- To learn more about Look West: Jobs and Prosperity for a Stronger BC and Canada, visit: https://gov.bc.ca/LookWest
