Local unemployment rate jumped more than a point in January

Feb 4, 2022 | 11:29 AM

Statistics Canada says the unemployment rate for the economic region that includes Vernon and the Okanagan rose by 1.3 per cent in January .

The unadjusted unemployment rate for Thompson-Okanagan was recorded at 5.9 per cent in January, up from the 4.6 per cent rate in December.

January’s rate was the highest for the region since an unemployment rate of 6.5 per cent was recorded in June of 2021.

Statistics Canada data showed that while the local unemployment rate was up on a month-over-month basis, it was much lower than the 7.4 per cent recorded in January of 2021.

The local employment rate also fell from 59 per cent in December to 57.3 per cent in January.

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That figure is just below the 57.7 per cent employment rate recorded last January, and is the lowest it has been since June when the rate was 55.6 per cent.

British Columbia recorded an unemployment rate of 5.2 per cent, which is unchanged from the month before and well below the 7.4 per cent recorded in January of 2021.

The provincial employment rate was 61.1 per cent in January, down from the 61.5 per cent in December, but still up compared to the 59.7 per cent in January of 2021.

Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation, said 4,200 jobs were created in January.

“B.C. continues to lead the country in economic recovery, having recovered all jobs lost at the outset of the pandemic. In fact, B.C.’s employment is now 102.4 per cent, which is the highest in the country compared to pre-pandemic levels,” Kahlon said in a statement.

Alberta had the highest unadjusted employment rate in January at 63.8 per cent, while Newfoundland and Labrador had the lowest rate at 49.2 per cent.

Newfoundland and Labrador also had the highest unemployment rate at 11.8 per cent, while Quebec had the lowest at 4.8 per cent in January.

Canada, as a whole, reported an unemployment rate of 5.9 per cent in January, which was up from the 5.7 per cent in December but well below the 8.9 per cent seen last January.

The national employment rate was down from the 61.3 per cent in December to 60.8 per cent in January, though that is still well above the 58.7 per cent recorded in January 2021.

Statistics Canada’s rates are based information gathered through the Labour Force Survey, Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours, Employment Insurance Statistics, and the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey. The figures account for people aged 15 and over and are expressed in a percentage rounded to the nearest tenth.

by Liam Verster

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