Regional unemployment continued to rise in November, but the provincial rate declining

Dec 5, 2025 | 12:33 PM

The economic region that includes Vernon saw another unemployment spike last month.

Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey showed the unadjusted unemployment rate for the Thompson-Okanagan rose to 8.1 per cent in November.

That was up from the rate of 7.3 per cent in October, and the highest it has been since April of 2021 when the rate was 8.6 per cent.

StatsCan did not have data specific for Vernon, but its report did show that Kelowna’s unemployment rate soared to new heights in November.

The Labour Force Survey report said Kelowna had an unemployment rate of 11 per cent in November, which was the highest rate on record for the Central Okanagan city since data collection began in 2011.

Labour Force Statistics

Regional unemployment continued to rise in November, but the provincial rate declining

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As the unemployment rose last month, the employment hits did take a bit of a hit.

StatsCan said the Thompson-Okanagan had an employment rate of 58.1 per cent in November, down from a rate of 59 per cent the month before.

Kelowna had an employment rate of 62.5 per cent in November, down from October’s rate of 63.6 per cent.

Though the Okanagan saw unemployment soar in November, that wasn’t the case for the rest of the province or the nation.

StatsCan said B.C. had an adjusted unemployment rate of 6.4 per cent in November, down from the rate of 6.6 per cent in October.

The provincial employment rate also made very slight gains, rising from 60.7 per cent in October to 60.8 per cent in November.

The data collection agency’s figures showed B.C. had the fourth lowest unemployment rate in the country after Quebec (5.1 per cent), Saskatchewan (5.3 per cent), and Manitoba (6.1 per cent).

B.C.’s unemployment rate was also below the national average, which was recorded at 6.5 per cent in November. That was also down from the rate of 6.9 per cent the month before.

Canada’s employment rate also made slight gains between October and November, rising from 60.8 to 60.9 per cent.

by Liam Verster

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