The jobless rate in Prince George held steady in June to the tune of 6.1% according to Stats Canada.

That remains slightly better than BC’s unemployment rate of 6.6% – which is the second-lowest among all the provinces, trailing only Quebec (6.3%).

Labour Division Analyst, Vince Ferrao spoke with MyPGNow.com.

“There were approximately 54,000 people employed in June and it is similar to the number in May. However, when compared to 12 months ago there were fewer people employed – around 46,000.”

Canada’s jobless rate dropped to 7.8% last month from 8.4 in May.

The economy added over 230-thousand jobs last month after significant job losses in April and May.

BC Jobs Minster Ravi Khalon also provided the following comments shortly after the numbers came out.

“Today, British Columbia has surpassed pre-pandemic employment levels – the only province to do so in June – recovering over 100% of the jobs lost during COVID-19.

“The Labour Force Survey for June showed our plan to build a stronger B.C. is working with substantial employment growth of 42,100 jobs gained throughout the province. There are now 17,000 more British Columbians employed than in February 2020, and B.C.’s unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the country at 6.6%, well below the national average of 7.8%.”

Here is a breakdown of all the provinces:

  • Quebec 6.3%
  • British Columbia 6.6%
  • Saskatchewan 6.7%
  • Manitoba 7.6%
  • Ontario 8.4%
  • Nova Scotia 9.o%
  • New Brunswick 9.3%
  • Alberta 9.3%
  • Prince Edward Island 12.5%
  • Newfoundland and Labrador 13.0%