B.C. was Canada's only province with employment above pre-pandemic level again: labour minister

Condo towers are seen in downtown Vancouver on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. (Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

VANCOUVER -

For the second month in a row, the federal Labour Force Survey showed B.C. was the only province in Canada with employment above pre-pandemic levels, the provincial minister said.

In a news release, Labour Minister Ravi Kahlon said B.C.'s job recovery rate last month was 100.5 per cent.

He added the province has the lowest provincial unemployment rate in Canada, at 6.6 per cent last month.

The data released Friday showed a gain of 3,300 full-time jobs, and a loss of 6,500 part-time jobs in July.

Regionally, the recovery rate sat at 107.4 per cent in the Cariboo area, according to the ministry.

The rate in the Kootenays was at 105.3 per cent, while the North Coast-Nechako region saw a 103.1 per cent rate last month.

On Vancouver Island, it was 102.8 per cent, while Thompson-Okanagan and the Lower Mainland areas saw recovery rates of 102.6 and 101.3 per cent.

Acknowledging the challenges in the province, Kahlon said in a statement, "As some industries continue to struggle, others are having difficulty finding the staff they need to meet the growing demand as the economy reopens."

Federally, Statistics Canada said the country added 94,000 jobs last month. The gains caused Canada's unemployment rate to fall to 7.5 per cent, the lowest it's been since March.