B.C.’s jobless rate down to 5.9; still the only province ‘notably’ above pre-pandemic employment levels

October 9, 2021

British Columbia again saw the third-lowest unemployment rate of Canadian provinces last month.

According to national statistics posted Friday, the rate in B.C. fell to 5.9 per cent in September, from 6.2 the month before.

With the Canada-wide rate now at 6.9, B.C. appears to be recovering from the pandemic better than much of the country.

But, if you stop and talk to some business owners in Vancouver, many of them will tell you making ends meet is still a huge challenge right now.

“The reality is we haven’t made the hay we need during the summertime to be able to get through the winter,” says Dan Webster, co-owner of Container Brewing in East Vancouver.

“In my opinion, I don’t think we’re really recovering yet. Until we actually have people coming from all around the world and visiting our fine city, we’re not recovering yet. It’s still just battling along.”

Container Brewing first opened its doors in November 2019, so it was only open for four months before the pandemic first struck. The brewery has relied heavily on the local community for support – as well as government subsidies – to keep the doors open and to keep people employed.

Source: CTV News