Unemployment Rate Up

Friday, February 06, 2009 06:15 AM

Prince George, B.C. - The jobless rate is on the rise in Prince George and the surrounding region.

The Canada Labour Force Survey indicates that Prince George's unemployment rate hit 5.9% last month, compared to 5.1% in January of last year.

Analyst Danielle Zietsma says the number of people considered working in the area has also dropped throughout the year as the Prince George shed approximately 2,000 jobs. Zietsma says the area is starting to reflect a national trend.

"You're down a bit, but nationally we've seen, in Canada as a whole, employment fell by 129,000 between December and January, and between January, 2008 and January, 2009 it fell about 0.5%. So this is a national trend, but it's also being shown in your area."

The Cariboo economic region, which includes Prince George, has also seen a rise in unemployment. The jobless rate went from 5.2% last January to 6.1% last month.

Statistics Canada says British Columbia lost 17,000 jobs last month as the provincial jobless rate went from 5.3% to 6.1%.

The national unemployment rate jumped from 6.6% to 7.2%.

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Posted on Friday, February 06, 2009 06:15 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: He speaks on February 6 2009 8:10 AM

Forget about the percentages, give me the actual number of people looking for work.

Posted by: dirtcheap on February 6 2009 8:30 AM

Why not give us real numbers.Unemployment rates are based on people on E.I. benefits.How about including all the people who have run out of benefits. Just wish Stats Canada would give us the real picture,so then maybe our government would wake up and realize that we have problem here.This sugar coating approach will not work,we need action now!!!!! Get this country back to work,stop exporting raw logs!!!!!Raw log export only benefits a few people,we need to process our own resourses here.Don't claim to have all the answers,but we need start getting serious here people.There will be a breaking point,but not to far away it seems.

Posted by: Shellshadow on February 6 2009 10:20 AM

Dirt, if they did that the riots could start. Keep the masses dumb as long as possible or until the OLYMPICS is done.

Posted by: Denaljo on February 6 2009 11:30 AM

BC lost 68000 full time jobs but gained 33000 part time jobs. I wonder which figure Gordo will brag about.

Posted by: bitter on February 6 2009 5:45 PM

We keep building Homeless Shelters in P.G. What about the working poor and the unemlployed?? No one seems to care about them?? Take a walk down George St. it's not sad, it's getting SICK. People yelling out profanities, drinking out in the open. Where are all these people coming from ?? We are bringing them because we are such good careing people. All the do gooders out there better take a look at what is happening to our City . ON George St. we have a nice new Health Center and a Needle Exchange So what can you expect? I want my tax dollars to help the working poor and the unempoyed , the loosers can go back to were they came from. I feel sorry for the business owners Downtown.