The last time the jobless rate in the Cariboo was this low was December of 2013.
Vincent Ferrao, a Labour Market Analyst with Stats Canada, goes over the numbers.
“To end the year we’re looking at an unemployment rate of 4.5 percent. A year ago it was 9.4. The 4.5 represents 4,100 people unemployed. A year ago there were 8,800 people unemployed.”
The Cariboo’s unemployment rate in December of 2013 was also at 4.5 percent.
Ferrao says there were also more people working in the region last month, compared to a year ago.
“We had 87,500 people working. In December 2020 we had 85,200. We had more people working in the construction industry, along with some slight increases in accommodation and food services, and there were fewer people working in healthcare and social assistance.”
BC’s jobless rate in December was 5.3 percent, which was down from 7.7 percent a year ago.
Only Quebec, at 4.6 percent, and Manitoba at 5.2, were lower.
Canada’s unemployment rate was 5.9 percent last month.
Ferrao says 55,000 jobs were added nationally in December.
