Vincent Ferrao, a Labour Market Analyst with Stats Canada, says the Cariboo’s unemployment rate came in at 8.8 percent last month, which was up from 7.5 percent a year ago, but it was down from 9.3 percent in December.
It was also the lowest it has been since last March when it was 8.7 percent.
Ferrao says the actual number of people working in the region was up.
“Last year at this time it was 83,500 and this January it’s at 84,900, so it edged up by 14 hundred.”
Ferrao says most of the gains in employment were in one sector.
“It was mostly in healthcare and social assistance, and then there were some smaller gains.  It was driven by healthcare and social assistance though.  This January there are 14,800 people employed in the region.  A year ago there were 12, 700 people employed in the region.”
Ferrao says the unemployment rate in the region was pushed up by the fact that more people were participating in the workforce.
BC’s unemployment was was an even 8 percent in January.
That is tied for third lowest in the country, behind Saskatchewan at 7.2 percent and Prince Edward Island at 7.9.