B.C. loses 16,000 jobs in July, halting strong run of gains

Thousands of jobs have been lost in B.C., according to new employment data for the month of July.

In a surprising downturn after months of steady job creation, B.C. saw employment decline in July—shedding approximately 16,300 positions, with most losses in construction, education, and health-care services.

B.C. job losses raised the unemployment rate from 5.6 per cent in June to 5.9 per cent in July, a slight setback in an otherwise positive year for employment growth.

According to the July Labour Force Survey, the hardest sectors hit were goods-producing industries. Construction alone lost around 7,600 jobs, while services sectors—particularly education—shed 4,200 roles, and health care and social assistance dropped about 3,200 jobs.

Despite the dip, B.C. continues to outperform national averages. Canada overall lost around 41,000 jobs in July, but B.C.’s unemployment rate remains well below the national level of 6.9 per cent.

Jobs and Economic Growth Minister Ravi Kahlon emphasized that tariffs from the U.S. are putting pressure on the labour market.

Hiring struggles

Rising operating costs have also limited hiring at a Vancouver bike shop, according to its owner.

“We’ve only hired where strictly necessary, and my main team is working a little longer and doing a little more work,” said Paul Dragan, owner of Reckless Bikes.

He said it’s discouraging because many people are looking for work, but taking on new staff isn’t financially practical.

“Rent, taxes, payroll, supplies — everything is going up. The only thing going down is my salary,” Dragan said.

In B.C., the unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 24 climbed to 14.6 per cent in July, matching the national rate and marking the highest level since 2010 outside the pandemic years.

The youth employment rate dropped to 53.6 per cent, its lowest point since 1998 when pandemic years are excluded.

Dragan said a federal wage subsidy allowed him to hire a few students for the summer, but without it, no new hires would have been possible.