Kelowna’s jobless rate in January was lower than any other major city across Canada.
According to Statistics Canada data released in early February, the unemployment rate of the Kelowna census metropolitan area — which also includes Lake Country, West Kelowna and Peachland — sat at 4.6 per cent in January, nearly half the national average of 8.9 per cent. That means roughly 5,500 of Kelowna’s 118,400-person labour force was without a job and looking for one.
At the pandemic peak in June 2020, 11,500 people in Kelowna were without work, and the unemployment rate was 10.2 per cent.
Across the province, the unemployment rate was 7.5 per cent in January, topped by Abbotsford-Mission and Vancouver, with 7.8 per cent of the workforce being jobless.
The province with the highest unemployment rate was Newfoundland and Labrador, at 12.6 per cent. Barrie, Ont. led all municipalities across the country with a 14.2 per cent jobless rate.
For more labour market statistics, visit statcan.gc.ca.
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