Langley chamber lauds drop in unemployment in B.C.

Another drop in the unemployment rate is welcome news to the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce.

The Labour Force Survey released on Friday, Jan. 6 showed that Canada had seen 104,000 new jobs in December, of which 17,000 were in B.C.

That brought unemployment down to five per cent nationally, and 4.2 per cent in B.C.

“This growth was almost exclusively driven by the private sector, which serves as a good reminder that it is businesses, big and small, that power our economy and we need to pay attention to supporting their needs,” said Langley Chamber CEO Cory Redekop.

Unemployment dropped by 0.1 per cent, putting it close to the record low of 4.9 per cent reached in June and July last year, according to Statistics Canada.

Construction, transportation, and warehousing, all industries with a significant footprint in Langley, saw gains in employment, the report said.

The report showed that B.C. has added a significant number of new jobs over the course of the year, said Brenda Bailey, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation.

“B.C. defied the odds and added 62,900 new jobs in 2022,” Bailey said. “Our unemployment rate remains near all-time historic lows at 4.2%; one of the lowest in the country.”

Redekop also noted that 81 per cent of women aged 25 to 54 were working, the highest annual rate on record since 1976. Much of the gain was from women with young children.

“Childcare is a business issue for this very reason – it allows us to broaden our labour force by allowing more women to join the workforce,” Redekop said. “Today’s numbers go a long way of underscoring the economic importance of continued investments by all governments in improving access to childcare.”

Employment also rose among people aged 15 to 24, and among those aged 55 and older.

One of the issues driving the recent tight jobs market has been retirements among people 55 and older. As the Baby Boom generation increasingly hits retirement age, it is putting a strain on employers to find more working-aged folks to fill the holes they’re leaving.

Langley employers have been increasingly looking for workers as the pandemic slowly receded over the last year or so, with a big jump in job listings, according to Langley Township’s labour survey.

READ MORE: Spike in job listings in Langley shows tight labour market

The hunt for workers has also been driving up wages, the Township’s labour survey also showed.