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Labour Market Monthly Update

The Labour Market Monthly Update offers a quick overview of B.C.'s labour market. You'll find industry and regional highlights, as well as information on provincial employment, unemployment and participation rates.

The latest monthly data is displayed below. If you would like to see data from previous months, please select a month from the dropdown.

Employment

Find out about B.C.'s employment trends by employment type, age and sex.

Total Employed (August 2025)
2,936,900
Source: Labour Force Survey (monthly, seasonally adjusted)
Employment Change
(since last month)
-15,700
Full Time
-9,300
Part Time
-6,400
% Employment Change
(from last month)
-0.5%
Full Time
-0.4%
Part Time
-1.1%
Source: Labour Force Survey (monthly, seasonally adjusted)
Employment by Age Group and Sex
August 2025 July 2025
Age
15 - 24 years 349,200 356,400
25 - 54 years 1,973,700 1,987,400
55+ years 614,000 608,700
Sex
Women 1,378,600 1,388,600
Men 1,558,300 1,564,000
Source: Labour Force Survey (monthly, seasonally adjusted)

Unemployment

Discover B.C.'s unemployment trends by rates of unemployment and participation.

Total Unemployed (August 2025)
195,600
Unemployment Rate
6.2%
Participation Rate
64.6%
Total Unemployed (July 2025)
184,100
Unemployment Rate
5.9%
Participation Rate
64.8%

Participation Rate represents the number of people in the workforce that are of working age as a percentage of total BC population.

Source: Labour Force Survey (monthly, seasonally adjusted)

Unemployment by Region

View the unemployment rates in each region of B.C.

Unemployment Rate
Cariboo
Kootenay
Mainland/Southwest
North Coast and Nechako
Northeast
Thompson-Okanagan
Vancouver Island/Coast
August 2025 August 2024
British Columbia 6.3% 5.8%
Vancouver Island/Coast 6.0% 4.0%
Mainland/Southwest 6.6% 6.3%
Thompson-Okanagan 5.1% 5.8%
Kootenay 5.8% 7.0%
Cariboo 7.2% 4.9%
North Coast and Nechako 5.9% 7.6%
Northeast 8.2% 6.2%
Source: Monthly Labour Force Survey, 3-month moving average, seasonally unadjusted

Industry Highlights

Learn about the employment trends and opportunities in B.C.'s major industries.

Industry Employment (change since last month) Employment (% change since last month)
Accommodation and Food Services +700 +0.4%
Agriculture +1,300 +9.2%
Business, Building and Other Support Services +100 +0.1%
Construction +11,400 +4.4%
Educational Services -10,500 -4.7%
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental and Leasing +4,900 +2.6%
Health Care and Social Assistance -10,400 -2.5%
Information, Culture and Recreation -16,500 -11.9%
Manufacturing +5,700 +3.1%
Other Primary -700 -1.6%
Other Services (Except Public Administration) -2,100 -1.8%
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services +1,800 +0.6%
Public Administration -1,000 -0.6%
Transportation and Warehousing -8,400 -5.3%
Utilities +300 +2.2%
Wholesale and Retail Trade +7,600 +1.7%
Source: Labour Force Survey (monthly, seasonally adjusted)