The latest figures from Statistics Canada show B.C. ended the year with fewer people and fewer jobs.
There were 3,300 job losses in B.C. in December compared to the previous month. Because the population is also in decline, the province’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.4 per cent.
The federal unemployment rate rose 0.3 percentage points to 6.8 per cent over the same period.
B.C.’s population is estimated at 5,683,201 in the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to 5,697,536 in the previous quarter and 5,696,852 for the same time the year before.
Forests Minister Ravi Parmar, speaking for Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon, who is away on a trip to India, released a statement on Friday blaming U.S. President Trump’s trade threats, while picking out what positive figures he could from the latest numbers.
“December also saw B.C.’s average hourly wage rise to $38.60, the highest in the country, and saw Canada’s largest increase in women’s employment, a gain of 11,100 jobs,” Parmar said in a Friday news release.
The goal of the India trip is to boost the B.C. economy by forging ties in sectors such as energy, forestry, mining, tech and life sciences.
B.C. Conservative critics say that these numbers show continued weakness in private sector job growth, with the province relying on government workers to prop up the labour market.
“After nine years of NDP intervention in the economy, British Columbia is drifting away from the basics that actually create jobs: certainty, competitiveness, and private-sector confidence,” Finance critic Peter Milobar said in a news release. “Government is not a job creator, it’s an opportunity creator.”
Jobs critic Gavin Dew also highlighted stubbornly high youth unemployment rates. The unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 24 is 12.7 per cent in B.C., up o.2 percentage points from November.
“I’m particularly concerned about stubbornly high youth unemployment that is depriving our children and grandchildren of the opportunity to build their lives here,” Dew said in a written statement.
In the year-in-review section of the December Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada explains that the entire Canadian economy is facing headwinds due to economic uncertainty introduced by the threat or imposition of tariffs, but labour market conditions improved by the end of the year. The national unemployment rate peaked at 7.1 per cent in July, ending the year at 6.8 per cent.
This was reflected in a lower proportion of job-seekers finding work each month compared to the same period in recent years, excluding the pandemic, while layoffs continued at normal rates. Job vacancies overall fell throughout the year.
Difficulties were more evident for youth across the country, with the youth unemployment rate (15- to 24-year-olds) reaching a high of 14.7 per cent in September. The youth unemployment rate ended the year at 13.3 per cent.