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B.C. leads country in job growth and has lowest unemployment rate

For the first time since comparable data has been collected, B.C. has the lowest unemployment rate in Canada
employment_british_columbia_april_2016
Employment in B.C., April 2016: up, and to the right | Statistics Canada

British Columbia continues to have the strongest job creation among Canadian provinces, according to Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey for April.

Canada as a whole lost 2,100 jobs, leaving the unemployment rate unchanged at 7.1%. B.C. gained 13,000 jobs, while Alberta lost 21,000 jobs. The increase pushed B.C.'s unemployment rate from 6.5% to 5.8% — the first time B.C. has had the lowest unemployment rate since comparable data started being collected, according to Statistics Canada.

Between March 2015 and March 2016, B.C.'s employment growth rate was 3.2%, the highest in the country.

Job losses in Alberta have been concentrated in the oil and gas industry as that sector reacts to the oil price shock that began in 2014. While B.C. has seen robust overall job creation, this province's own oil and gas patch in the northeastern Peace region has also been affected by low prices in both oil and natural gas. In April, that region's unemployment rate had climbed to 9.7%.

Graphic created by Trevor Tombe, University of Calgary department of economics, using Statistic Canada's Labour Force Survey for April 2016. Used with permission.

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