British Columbia’s Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation, Ravi Kahlon has issued a statement regarding the province’s contribution to the Canadian labour market. The minister issued the statement after the release of Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey for December 2021.
According to the minister:
"101,000 jobs added in British Columbia for the year of 2021 marks a 3.9% increase compared to 2020 job numbers, with 84,000 of these jobs being full-time jobs. In December 2021 alone, the province added 25,000 full-time jobs."
The minister also mentioned the high employment level in the province, which is 102.1% higher than pre-pandemic levels with 56,000 more employed people.
The minister stated that,
"Our government remains committed to supporting businesses as we navigate these difficult times. Since early 2020, our government has invested more than half-a-billion dollars to support businesses and their staff through this pandemic. That’s the largest investment of any province per-capita in Canada and, along with the hard work of people in B.C., has helped put us in this strong position even with the challenges ahead."
Ravi Kahlon added that despite their efforts to recover from this pandemic, they know that young people, Indigenous people, and people of color have been disproportionately impacted. However, their government is committed to ensuring their recovery is inclusive.
As a result, youth employment increased by 38,700 jobs and employment for Indigenous Peoples increased by 25,600 jobs.