B.C.’s labour market took a step back in August, shedding 5,500 jobs as the unemployment rate ticked up 0.3 percentage points to 6.5 per cent.
That’s compared with losses of 42,000 jobs nationally and a static unemployment rate of 6.4 per cent, according to Statistics Canada data released Friday.
“After a run of surprisingly hearty job results, it seemed Canada was almost due for a reality check,” BMO chief economist Douglas Porter said in a note.
“So while this is no doubt a soft report, it’s far from a shock, and in part reflects the ongoing sag in the labour force population.”
The province, meanwhile, lost 26,000 full-time jobs
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