It was a decent start to 2026 when it comes to the unemployment rate in the Cariboo region.
Vincent Ferrao, a Labour Market Analyst with Stats Canada, says it was 6.5 percent in January, up from 6.8 in January of 2025, but the lowest it’s been since July.
Despite the increase in the year over year unemployment rate, Ferrao says there were actually more people working in the region last month than a year ago.
“The number of unemployed people, 66-hundred, and a year ago we had 62-hundred. The number of people working, a bit different, not much, 81,400 this January. 80,500 last January.”
Ferrao says there was a lot of change within the different job sectors.
“By industry it looks like the wholesale and retail trade had an increase. The rest was small. Decreases, natural resources, was relatively small. The biggest change was wholesale and retail.”
Canada’s unemployment rate was 6.5 percent in January, down from 6.8.
The jobless rate in BC was 6.1, down from 6.3, and third lowest out of the provinces.
- Quebec 5.2%
- Saskatchewan 5.3%
- British Columbia 6.1%
- Manitoba 6.3%
- Alberta 6.4%
- New Brunswick 6.7%
- Nova Scotia 6.9%
- Ontario 7.3%
- Prince Edward Island 7.6%
- Newfoundland and Labrador 9.2%
