Bruce Ralston, Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology, has issued the following statement on the release of the December Labour Force Survey:
“We’re committed to building a better B.C. that works for everyone, where all regions of the province are benefiting from good jobs and investment.
“Our government has been working hard to create jobs in all regions of the province, so I’m pleased to see that B.C. has maintained the lowest unemployment rate in Canada for the last 16 months.
“There are more than 2.5 million people working in British Columbia – the most in B.C. history. Year-over-year numbers show that private sector employment in B.C. increased 3.3% to 51,700 new jobs. That ranks B.C. second in the country in private sector employment growth, ahead of Alberta and Ontario.
“These annual statistics give a more complete perspective of the labour market in British Columbia and show that we are on the right track for creating a sustainable economy for people in B.C. Forecasters expect B.C.’s real GDP to grow by 2.6% this year – among the highest in Canada.
“Our approach has put us on a strong economic course and is making the economy work for people.”
