There is another significant increase in the annual Kootenay unemployment rate.
It was 5.9 per cent last month, compared to 3.8 per cent in January 2025.
According to Statistics Canada, there were about 82,200 residents with jobs in the Kootenay last month, about 300 fewer than the same month last year.
The big jump came in the number of job seekers.
The federal agency says there were about 5,200 people looking for work throughout the Kootenays last month, compared to 3,300 in January 2025.
The total Kootenay work force last month was about 54,500, a drop of about 800 from the year before.
