Statistics Canada’s monthly Labour Force Survey for July shows a positive trend for employment rates in British Columbia and across Canada.
In B.C., there were another 70,200 jobs added to the labour market last month which, when combined with the jobs created in May and June, makes up for 50 per cent of the jobs lost in March and April at the height of the pandemic.
Wholesale and retail trade, along with food services and accommodation, increased by 48,300 jobs in July.
The provincial unemployment rate is at 11.1 per cent, after falling by two points last month, which is slightly higher than the national unemployment rate which is now at 10.9 per cent.
“For the first time, Statistics Canada has included race-based data in its monthly survey, which will help provide a fuller picture of who’s being impacted by changes in the job market,” said Michelle Mungall, B.C. Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Competitiveness in a statement.
“From this first report, we see that South Asian, Arab and Black Canadians are seeing significantly higher unemployment rates across the country.”
Across Canada, 419,000 people returned to work in July, on top of 953,000 jobs created in June.
According to StatsCan, the overall unemployment rate dropped from 13.7 per cent in May to 10.9 per cent in July, falling 1.4 percentage points for the second consecutive month.
However among visible minorities, the unemployment rates were higher. South Asian Canadians are experiencing a 17.8 per cent unemployment rate, Arab Canadians are at 17.3 per cent, and Black Canadians are at 16.8 per cent.
Before COVID-19, the national unemployment rate was 5.6 per cent.
