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Labour Force Report

Regional and provincial unemployment improved this October

Nov 6, 2026 | 12:22 PM

The region that includes Vernon saw some positive gains to the workforce last month.

Statistics Canada says the Thompson-Okanagan economic region had an unadjusted unemployment rate of 6.6 per cent this October. That was an improvement from September’s rate of 7.0 per cent, and down from the rate of 7.3 per cent unemployed in October 2025.

However the regional unadjusted employment was recorded at 56.1 per cent, down two-tenths of a point on a monthly basis.

StatsCan did not provide data specific to Vernon in it’s monthly Labour Force Survey, but did have figures that showed Kelowna’s workforce struggles were continuing. In the Central Okanagan city, the adjusted unemployment rate was recorded at 9.6 per cent this October.

That was up from a rate of 9.3 per cent recorded both this past September and in October of 2025. It was also the highest rate recorded sine last November when unemployment reached 10.4 per cent.

Kelowna’s adjusted employment rate was recorded at 61.0 per cent this October, which was unchanged on a monthly basis.

Meanwhile, B.C. as a whole saw some improvements.

StatsCan said the provincial adjusted unemployment rate was 6.3 per cent in the latest reporting month. That marked improvements from September’s rate of 6.4 per cent,. and an unemployment rate of of 6.6 per cent in October of 2025.

Employment was recorded at 60.7 per cent across B.C., up from 60.5 per cent the previous month.

While B.C. saw some gains, that wasn’t the case for the entire nation.

Canada-wide adjusted unemployment was recorded at 6.7 per cent this October. That was up from 6.5 per cent in September, though down from the 6.9 per cent rate recorded in October 2025. National employment meanwhile was recorded at 60.5 per cent, down from 60.6 the month before.

Along with having better rates compared to the nation as a whole, B.C.’s unemployment was fifth lowest among provinces after Manitoba (5.0), Quebec (5.7), Saskatchewan (5.9), and Nova Scotia (6.2).

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