B.C. continues to lose jobs, the latest numbers show, as Statistics Canada reports that the province lost 19,000 jobs in March.
The unemployment rate is now 6.7 per cent, which is the highest in a decade, except for the height of the COVID pandemic.
So far this year, B.C. has lost nearly 36,000 jobs.
“We’ve had losses in wholesale trade, we’ve had transportation, warehousing, finance, insurance, a very broad base in terms of our economy right now, it seems, for some of those losses,” Bryan Yu, a chief economist with Central 1, told Global News.
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There were, however, jobs gained in manufacturing, services and natural resources.
B.C.’s Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth said there are still things to celebrate.
“We’ve seen $2 billion in investment to B.C. in mining, we have $50 billion that is in final investment decision, Netflix just opened up a new studio in Vancouver, so we continue to see bright spots in the economy,” Ravi Kahlon said.
“But there are some sectors that are facing real challenges, and we’re going to have to continue to focus on them and find ways for them to continue to be able to survive during these challenging times.”
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