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October 27, 2017 5:44 pm

Unemployment Rate Rises Slightly Year Over Year in Prince George

Friday, May 5, 2017 @ 7:52 AM

Prince George, B.C. – Prince George’s unemployment rate rose slightly year over year in April.

Vincent Ferrao, labour analyst with Stats Can, says it hit 6.3 per cent last month compared to 4.7 per cent a year ago. He attributes the rise to more people entering the workforce.

“We had 47,500 people working this April – it’s not much of a change compared to a year ago when there were 46,700 people working,” he says.

“Most of that increase was in full-time work and there was just a slight increase in unemployment.”

Looking at the Cariboo region, he says the unemployment rate hit 8.9 per cent in April – up from 5.6 per cent in April 2016.

“About 79,900 people were working (last month). A year ago, there were 77,600. So, it’s up about 2,300. Again, this labour force grew faster, increasing the unemployment rate.”

Provincially, Ferrao says 80,000 jobs were created – 63,000 of those full-time – dropping the overall unemployment rate to 5.5 per cent last month from 5.8 per cent a year ago.

He adds B.C. no longer has the lowest unemployment rate in the country – that honour now goes to Manitoba – whose unemployment dropped to 5.4 per cent.

And nationally, Ferrao says 276,000 jobs were created – an increase of 1.5 per cent – which dropped the unemployment to 6.5 per cent from 7.1 per cent a year earlier.

Comments

Why don’t they ever say the increased unemployment is because there is no jobs ? ( unless you count working part time at McDonalds as a job )

    “Provincially 80,000 jobs were created – 63,000 of those full-time”

    You have to actually read the article. Unemployment went up because it counts the difference between people looking for work and those working. More people entering the workforce increases the unemployment rate if they do not find a job right away.

    “(in the Cariboo region) About 79,900 people were working (last month). A year ago, there were 77,600”

    2,300 more people working but also more people looking for work than a year ago thus the unemployment rate went up.

    “Nationally 276,000 jobs were created”

    So BC got 29% of the jobs that were created last month Canada wide

Yess it has been climbing every year

Fairly easy to calculate

Last month in the Cariboo 79,900 people were working and 8.9 percent unemployed.

Last year in the Cariboo 77,600 people were working and 5.6 percent unemployed.

This means:
April 2016 – 77,600 employed – 4,345 looking – 81,945 workforce
April 2017 – 79,900 employed – 7,111 looking – 87,011 workforce

The Cariboo Region had 5,066 more people in the workforce last month compared to April of last year.

PG numbers:

Last month 47,500 employed with 6.3 percent unemployment
Last year 46,700 employed with 4.7 percent unemployed

April 2016 – 46,700 employed – 2,194 looking – 48,894 in the workforce
April 2017 – 47,500 employed – 2,992 looking – 50,492 in the workforce

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