Employment rose in the Kootenays last month. In May 2018, 68,600 people were employed, compared to 72,900 last month.
However, unemployment also increased by roughly 1,200 people year over year. The unemployment rate was 5.1 per cent in May 2018, whereas last month it rose to 6.3 per cent.
The region’s labour force saw an increase of over 5,000 as well.
From a provincial stand point, Statistics Canada says BC saw little change over the past five months, but employment rose by 17,000 last month. This was primarily due to an increase in part time work among core aged people.
The unemployment rate declined slightly to 4.3 per cent and remains the lowest among the provinces.