After months of improvement, the B.C. unemployment rate climbed to 6.5 per cent, with the province shedding 5,500 jobs last month.
According to Statistics Canada’s recent Labour Force Survey, B.C. shed 26,000 full-time jobs in August, but gained 20,600 part-time jobs. Its unemployment climbed by 0.3 percentage points, from 6.2 per cent in July.
As usual, both the governing B.C. NDP and the B.C. Conservatives had very different takes on the statistics.
In a release from the B.C. Conservatives, they were quick to blame the governing NDP for the job loss.
“B.C. is losing full-time jobs, our forestry communities are losing good-paying work, and the NDP has failed to protect the industry that built so many of our communities,” said Kiel Giddens, shadow minister for labour and economic development, in the release.
“As mills close and curtail operations, families are left wondering where the next good-paying job will come from. We need a government that stands up for these workers and fights to create new opportunities.”
The B.C. NDP, meanwhile, pointed out that from May to July, 50,800 jobs had been added to the economy, giving credit to their Look West strategy.
In a statement from the Ministry of Jobs and Economic Growth, they said that the labour force survey “demonstrates B.C.‘s economic resilience in August 2026, with [the] lowest decline among large provinces.”
Further, Adrian Dix, acting minister of jobs and economic growth, seemed to blame job loss on the latest waves of tariffs from the U.S.
“People and businesses in British Columbia continue to show their steady strength and resilience as new and continuing tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump create unjustified challenges in some of our most important sectors,” said Dix.
“It is clear Donald Trump is deliberately creating a powerful economic crisis for our country with a target on our forestry sector that is having a real impact. That’s why our work together with the federal government to support businesses, build up our country and invest in job-creating projects is more critical than it’s ever been,” he added.
However, according to a note from RBC, the tariffs probably didn’t affect August labour data too much.
“The new tariffs were implemented too late in August to significantly impact this morning’s labour market data. Still, early signs including job openings from Indeed.com have not flagged a significant pullback in hiring demand in the wake of those measures,” said RBC.
How is the rest of the country doing?
Canada-wide, the country shed 42,000 jobs in August, with the unemployment rate staying at 6.4 per cent. Most of these jobs were full-time, with 36,000 lost.
But on a year-over-year basis, there was a one per cent increase in employment, with 217,000 jobs added between August 2025 and August 2026.
“The monthly labour market data is notoriously volatile and the August job decline followed sizable increases the prior three months. Year-to-date, employment is up 27,000 in 2026, led by a 46,000 increase in full-time jobs,” said RBC.