Although B.C. continued to lead the country in job creation at the end of 2016, the gains were confined to the Lower Mainland and southern Vancouver Island.
According to an analysis by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), communities in the Interior and the North of the province – Thompson-Okanagan, the Cariboo, Kootenays, North Coast/Nechako and the Northeast – saw net job losses last year.
The Nechako region saw a net job loss of 0.4 per cent in 2016.
“We hear a lot about B.C.’s strong jobs performance – it’s mentioned in every speech and media appearance by our premier and members of her government. On the surface, it sounds like a good news story. Outside Metro Vancouver and Greater Victoria, B.C.’s jobs story is nothing to brag about,” say Iglika Ivanova, CCPA’s public interest researcher, and Seth Klein, CCPA’s B.C. director.
“The headline-making job creation numbers mask large regional disparities across the province,” they added.
Ivanova and Klein say most B.C. regions have not yet recovered the jobs lost in the recession seven years ago.
“For many of these regions, these job losses came on the heels of hard times,” they said. “They were hit particularly hard by the recession, after already struggling with the decline in forestry jobs.”
Klein said the provincial government’s focus on liquefied natural gas (LNG) hasn’t worked.
“Instead of fixating on LNG and other non-renewable resources, the provincial government should focus on reviving B.C.’s long-neglected forestry sector,” he said.
“B.C. needs a new bold jobs plan that would revitalize communities in every corner of the province,” he added.
Statistics Canada data show B.C.’s unemployment rate fell to 5.8 per cent in December, down from 6.1 per cent in November. December estimates show a net increase of 17,000 jobs, while the number of job seekers rose by 9100.
B.C.’s unemployment rate remained the lowest in Canada in December, followed by Manitoba at 6.3 per cent and Ontario at 6.4 per cent. Alberta, long the national leader, has fallen to seventh lowest at 8.5 per cent unemployment.
In a year-end statement, Shirley Bond, B.C. Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training Minister, said B.C. is expected to continue its nation-leading job creation performance in 2017. The ministry cited forecasts by major banks and the Conference Board of Canada, as well as a Canadian Federation of Independent Business estimate that B.C.’s private sector job vacancy rate is the highest among provinces at 3.5 per cent.
– With files from Tom Fletcher
