Workforce Monthly Insights

Key Insights

  • Employment decreased by 600 jobs from the previous month and increased by 2,500 jobs compared to the same month last year.
  • Full-time Employment decreased by 3,100 jobs from the previous month and decreased by 2,500 jobs year-over-year.
  • Part-time Employment increased by 2,500 jobs from the previous month and increased by 4,900 jobs year-over-year.
  • Unemployment decreased by 2,200 people from the previous month and increased by 4,600 compared to the same month last year.

Workforce Composition by Status

In the most recent month, Full-time Employment decreased by 3,100 jobs from last month and decreased by 2,500 jobs compared to the same month last year.

Part-time Employment increased by 2,500 jobs from last month and increased by 4,900 jobs year-over-year.

The number of Unemployed individuals decreased by 2,200 from the previous month and increased by 4,600 compared to last year.

Employment, Unemployment, and Participation Rate

The Employment Rate decreased by 1 percentage points year-over-year.

The Unemployment Rate increased by 1.4 percentage points from a year ago.

The Participation Rate decreased by 0.2 percentage points year-over-year.

Jobs Added or Lost by Month

Employment levels decreased by 600 jobs in the most recent month and increased by 2,500 jobs compared to the same month last year.

In the most recent month, there was a net decreased by 600 jobs. Over the last year, the labor market has seen a net increased by 2,500 jobs in total.

Top 3 Industries in Goods Sector

  • Construction : 30,700 workers.
  • Manufacturing : 22,200 workers.
  • Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas : 14,200 workers.

The Goods sector is mainly driven by industries such as Construction, Manufacturing, and Agriculture, which together account for a substantial share of the workforce.

Top 3 Industries in Services Sector

  • Health care and social assistance : 48,700 workers.
  • Wholesale and retail trade : 47,000 workers.
  • Professional, scientific and technical services : 23,100 workers.

In the Services sector, Health Care, Retail, and Professional Services lead employment, representing a dominant portion of the workforce.

Top 5 Industries by Change from Previous Month

  • Construction : Change of 2,300 workers ( increased by 8.1 %).
  • Agriculture : Change of 1,300 workers ( decreased by 28.26 %).
  • Public administration : Change of 1,300 workers ( increased by 12.04 %).
  • Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas : Change of 900 workers ( increased by 6.77 %).
  • Health care and social assistance : Change of 800 workers ( decreased by 1.62 %).
  • Accommodation and food services : Change of 800 workers ( decreased by 3.98 %).

These industries saw the largest month-over-month changes, indicating short-term trends.

Top 5 Industries by Change from Same Month Last Year

  • Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas : Change of 6,900 workers ( increased by 94.52 %).
  • Health care and social assistance : Change of 6,200 workers ( increased by 14.59 %).
  • Educational services : Change of 3,800 workers ( decreased by 17.59 %).
  • Agriculture : Change of 3,600 workers ( decreased by 52.17 %).
  • Business, building and other support services : Change of 3,600 workers ( decreased by 27.07 %).

The year-over-year changes provide insights into longer-term shifts, highlighting industries that have grown or declined significantly.

Conclusion

The overall employment trend is positive, with strong growth in the past year. Key industries driving the trend are: Construction, Manufacturing, Wholesale and retail trade, Professional, scientific and technical services, Health care and social assistance.

Thompson-Okanagan Economic region — Labour Market Outlook

Total Job Openings

Most Job Openings

Job openings and employment by occupation and industry for the period 2023-2033

Forecasted number of new job openings in the period 2023-2033

Data source: Labour Market Analytics, Forecasting & Information

Forecasted employment in the period 2023-2033

Data source: Labour Market Analytics, Forecasting & Information

High-opportunity occupations

High opportunity occupations by NOC based on forecasted number of job openings in the period 2023-2033

Data source: Labour Market Analytics, Forecasting & Information

BC workforce supply composition for the period 2023-2033

Forecasted number of new job market entrants in the period 2023-2033

Data source: Labour Market Analytics, Forecasting & Information

These job openings provide a forecast for the demand for labour with the associated education background. This is a demand projection only and is not a measure of how many graduates the B.C. education system needs to produce. These job openings are projected to be supplied through a mix of young B.C. residents starting work after being educated either in B.C. or other jurisdictions, immigrants, migrants from other provinces, or existing residents pursuing additional education.

Planners should take these other possible sources of supply into account when using these projections for post-secondary program planning purposes.