B.C. Unemployment Rate Rises to 6.5% as Province Loses 5,500 Jobs in August

British Columbia’s unemployment rate rose by 0.3 percentage points to 6.5% in August, while the province recorded a net loss of about 5,500 jobs, according to Statistics Canada.

The province lost approximately 26,000 full-time jobs during the month. However, this was partly offset by an increase of about 20,600 part-time positions, bringing the overall net job loss to roughly 5,500.

B.C. Conservatives blamed the job losses directly on the NDP government, saying the province continues to lose full-time jobs and accusing the government of failing to protect traditional industries such as forestry.

Jobs and Economic Development Minister Adrian Dix, however, described the decline as relatively modest and said B.C.’s economy remains resilient. He pointed out that the province recorded the smallest employment decline among the larger provinces and attributed much of the weakness to the impact of U.S. tariffs.