Unemployment in the Central Okanagan shot up in April along with the rest of the country, likely due to the latest COVID-19 restrictions that have closed many businesses.
The percentage of unemployed people in Kelowna’s metropolitan area increased from 5% in March to 5.7% last month.
Kelowna still has the fifth lowest unemployment rate in Canada and the second lowest in B.C., behind only Abbotsford-Mission. Kelowna had the second lowest rate nationally in March.
The percentage of people who were employed or looking for work in the Central Okanagan dropped from 63% to 62.5% last month, but the number of those employed fell a full percentage point, from 59.9% to 58.9%. There were 109,300 people employed in March, but that figure fell to 107,6000 last month.
The unemployment rate in the Thompson Okanagan increased in April as well, jumping from 7.3% to 8.1%.
Overall, Canada lost 207,000 jobs last month and its unemployment rate jumped from 7.5% in March to 8.1% in April.
The losses in April nearly wiped out the 303,000 jobs added in March when the economy outpaced expectations and put the country about 503,100 jobs, or 2.6% below pre-pandemic levels.
More losses were seen in full-time work than part-time work, with the figures at 129,000 and 78,000, respectively, with the retail sector and young workers hit hardest.
Total hours worked fell 2.7%, which TD senior economist Sri Thanabalasingam said could indicate a reversal in the overall economic recovery in April.
— with files from The Canadian Press
