B.C. service industries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic are showing the strongest signs of recovery, Finance Minister Carole James says.

The official unemployment rate for B.C. remains at 13 per cent based on Statistics Canada totals for June, but that is partly due to more people having the confidence to look for work as the B.C. economy reopens, James said July 10. Youth unemployment is up slightly to 29 per cent, another sign of job seekers coming back in the hardest-hit areas of the economy.

Statistics show 118,000 additional jobs in B.C. from May to June, with half of those in the accommodation and food service industries that were directly affected by COVID-19 health orders. ItB次元官网网址檚 an encouraging start, but net job losses for B.C. since the pandemic restrictions began remain at 235,000, James said.

B次元官网网址淚 think itB次元官网网址檚 a good sign that youB次元官网网址檙e seeing that 50 per cent increase in jobs coming from those sectors,B次元官网网址� James told reporters in a broadcast from the B.C. legislature. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e starting to see, as we encourage British Columbians to safely and cautiously travel within the province B次元官网网址� TheyB次元官网网址檙e providing support to accommodation. I know that the Okanagan is talking about how busy they are this summer.B次元官网网址�

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Ken Peacock, chief economist for the Business Council of B.C., said the June employment numbers are a pleasant surprise, with the first full month of the provinceB次元官网网址檚 restart bringing almost triple the employment increase seen in May. But of the 118,000 new jobs, 102,000 were part-time.

B次元官网网址淣ow itB次元官网网址檚 not surprising that companies are rehiring people on a part-time basis rather than jumping into full-time hours,B次元官网网址� Peacock said in an interview with Black Press Media. B次元官网网址淎nd also when you look at the sectors that were hit, you see more part-time in food services, accommodation services, some of the tourism activities.B次元官网网址�

The one area that continues to see declines is manufacturing, which Peacock said is an indication of B.C.B次元官网网址檚 export economy in a global pandemic.

B次元官网网址淲e know our forest products sector is hurting, mining activity is probably being dampened as we speak because of the global slowdown, so IB次元官网网址檓 going to be watching that manufacturing number and some of the export elements closely in the next few months,B次元官网网址� Peacock said.

tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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