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Unemployment in Greater Victoria continues to drop

New figures peg region’s unemployment rate at 7.6 per cent
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According to Statistics Canada, Greater Victoria’s unemployment continues to drop, reaching 7.6 per cent in October. (Black Press Media File)

Greater Victoria’s unemployment rate dropped to 7.6 per cent in October.

This figure released by Statistics Canada marks an improvement compared to September, when the unemployment rate for the Victoria Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) stood at 9.1 per cent. The new figure confirms the improving trend in the region, where the unemployment rate jumped to just over 11 per cent in June after recording the lowest rate in Canada with a figure of 3.4 per cent in February against the economic effects of measures designed to fight COVID-19.

RELATED: Statistics Canada says economy added 84,000 jobs in October

Kelowna’s CMA recorded the lowest unemployment rate among the four CMAs in British Columbia with a figure of 6.2 per cent. Victoria finished second, followed by Abbotsford-Mission (8.6 per cent) and Vancouver (9.7 per cent).

The provincial unemployment rate stood at eight per cent, with the national unemployment rate at 8.9 per cent, little changed from last month.

RELATED: Greater Victoria records lowest unemployment rate in Canada

RELATED: Greater Victoria records highest unemployment in post-war history with 11 per cent

The latest figures appear against the backdrop of rising COVID-19 cases and the possibility of additional measures to combat the pandemic. Statistics Canada alludes to this point when the agency notes that employment growth has been slowing as new COVID-19 restrictions come into place.

The latest figures from Statistics Canada also reveal ongoing concerns about the economic effects. According to the agency, more than half (53.3 per cent ) of those who were unemployed and had been searching for work or on temporary layoff for 27 weeks or more, were living in households reporting difficulty meeting necessary expenses.


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wolfgang.depner@peninsulanewsreview.com



Wolf Depner

About the Author: Wolf Depner

I joined the national team with Black Press Media in 2023 from the Peninsula News Review, where I had reported on Vancouver Island's Saanich Peninsula since 2019.
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