Unemployment in Greater Victoria rose by 0.3 per cent to 4.2 per cent last month, according to Statistics Canada.
The Victoria Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) still has one of the lowest unemployment rates in all of Canada, as the national unemployment rate dropped by one per cent to 5.5 per cent, according to the figures collected between Feb. 13 to 19. That puts current figures below the pre-COVID unemployment rate of 5.7 per cent in February 2020 as job numbers saw notable gains in the accommodation and food services as well as information, culture and recreation, both nationally and in Greater Victoria. Overall, employment gains spread across provinces and demographic groups.
Ontario’s Belleville recorded Canada’s lowest unemployment rate with 2.3 per cent, followed by Quebec City with 2.8 per cent.
RELATED: Unemployment rate in Greater Victoria drops below four per cent
Across British Columbia, Abbotsford-Mission CMA tied Victoria. Vancouver CMA and Kelowna CMA recorded respective unemployment rates of 5.4 per cent and 7.1 per cent.
Statistics Canada recorded the latest figures during a period when several provinces “had lifted, or were in the process of lifting, proof of vaccination requirements and capacity limits in settings such as restaurants, retailers, theatres and gyms.”
The figures also preview what lies ahead for the overall labour market. “Other indicators point to an increasingly tight labour market in February,” it read. “Total hours worked increased 3.6 (per cent) while the employment rate, or the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who were employed, rose (one per cent) points to 61.8 per cent.”
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