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B.C. Sheds 5,500 Jobs in August Amid Nationwide Losses

Full-time employment fell by 26,000 as part-time gains masked broader weakness in the province’s labour market, Statistics Canada said.

  • British Columbia shed 5,500 jobs in August as the unemployment rate rose to 6.5 per cent, according to Friday's Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, with full-time employment declining by 26,000.
  • Nationally, Canada lost 42,000 jobs in August, leaving the unemployment rate unchanged at 6.4 per cent, which BMO chief economist Douglas Porter described as a "reality check" after recent strong results.
  • By sector, health care added 10,000 jobs and information/culture/recreation grew by 6,100, though West Coast industries faced significant declines in education, tech, and retail, shedding 6,300, 4,500, and 3,800 roles respectively.
  • Kiel Giddens, B.C. Conservative labour critic, cited a year-over-year loss of 17,200 natural resources jobs, while acting jobs minister Adrian Dix emphasized full-time employment growth of about 20,000 over the past year.
  • With Canadian counter-tariffs set to take effect next week following U.S. tariffs imposed August 21, TD senior economist Andrew Hencic warned the "prospect of further escalation is hard to dismiss.
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Province of BC broke the news on Friday, September 4, 2026.
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