Okanagan’s unemployment figures improved in July

Aug 8, 2025 | 9:53 AM

The economic region that includes Vernon saw improvements to the workforce in July.

Statistics Canada says the Thompson-Okanagan’s unadjusted unemployment rate in the most recent reporting month was 5.4 per cent. That was down from the rate of 5.9 per cent the month before.

The economic region also recorded an unadjusted employment rate of 57 per cent in July, up from 55.9 per cent in June.

StatsCan did not include specific data for Vernon, but did have figures for Kelowna.

The Central Okanagan city recorded an adjusted unemployment rate of 4.7 per cent in July, along with an employment rate of 55.4 per cent. Those were improved from June’s rates of 6.2 per cent unemployed and 54 per cent employed.

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Though the local figures improved, that wasn’t necessarily the case for the rest of B.C.

The data collection agency said B.C.’s adjusted unemployment rate rose to 5.9 per cent in July after being recorded at 5.6 per cent in June. The provincial employment rate also fell to 61 per cent after being at 61.4 per cent the month prior.

Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth, said the U.S. tariff impacts were being felt across B.C., but still said B.C. was doing well when compared to other provinces.

“Private-sector employment is up by 1,500 jobs compared to last month, and B.C. is the only large province with private-sector employment growth in July. Since July 2017, private-sector employment has increased by 179,200 and self-employment has increased by 28,700,” Kahlon said in response to the report from StatsCan.

“Our unemployment rate is 5.9 per cent, the fourth lowest in Canada and below the national average of 6.9 per cent. B.C. continues to lead the country with an average hourly wage of $37.75, the highest among provinces, up 2.9 per cent compared to this time last year.

“The data shows that in July, B.C. had employment gains in retail trade with an increase of 14,700 jobs, and an increase of 1,600 jobs in agriculture.”

The provinces with lower unemployment rates than B.C. in July were Saskatchewan (5.0), Manitoba (5.5), and Quebec (5.5).

The national labour force figures also saw some declines in July.

StatsCan said the unemployment rate stayed flat on a month-over-month basis at 6.9 per cent. However, the national employment rate fell to 60.7 per cent in July after being at 60.9 per cent in June.

The data collection agency said the employment decline was mostly concentrated among youth aged 15 to 24, stating “youth continue to face challenging labour market conditions; the youth employment rate fell 0.7 percentage points to 53.6 per cent in July—the lowest rate since November 1998 (excluding 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic).”

That trend was not necessarily seen in British Columbia, where employment of youth aged 15 to 24 only recorded a slight decline from 52.9 per cent in June to 52.8 per cent in July.

Employment in Canada was also down in several industries, led by information, culture and recreation, and construction.

by Liam Verster

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