The employment situation in the Cariboo region began 2020 a lot like 2019.
Vincent Ferrao, a Labour Market Analyst with Stats Canada, says the unemployment rate was 7.5 percent last month, which is up from 5.9 a year ago, and the highest it’s been since May of 2017.
But, the reason for the increase is that more people were actually looking for work…
“76,600 people were working this January, compared with 75,100 a year ago. The number of people looking for work went up to 62-hundred. It was 47-hundred a year ago.”
Ferrao says there were more people working in retail and wholesale trade and there was a minor decline in manufacturing.
BC continues to have the lowest unemployment rate in the country…
“I am beginning to sound like a broken record, but yes BC has lowest unemployment rate in the country. It was 4.5 percent last month, and a year ago it was 4.7 percent.”
Manitoba and Quebec are next at 5.1 percent.
Ontario’s jobless rate is at 5.2.