Statistics Canada says B.C. lost more than 40,000 jobs over the first four months of the year, and more than 11,000 full-time positions last month alone.
Premier David Eby says this comes as little surprise, and the explanation is obvious, with a major pillar of the province’s economy continuing to take a beating from a major trade war with the U.S.
“Our softwood lumber sector is under huge pressure,” he said.
“The tariffs we face are higher than those faced by Russia and Europe when they import wood to the United States. And as a result, Russia and Europe are exporting more wood to the United States than they ever have.”
As well, exports from B.C. to the U.S. are down, which is affecting all provinces, Eby says.
The province’s unemployment rate in April held relatively steady, rising slightly to 6.8 per cent from the 6.7 per cent reported a month earlier.
The rate remains about mid-pack among Canadian provinces, with Newfoundland and Labrador reporting the highest jobless rate at 10 per cent and Manitoba the lowest at 5 per cent.
B.C. Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon said in a statement that the province continues to be challenged by the U.S.-Iran war and tariffs, but noted strengths including gains in construction, manufacturing, self-employment, and youth employment.
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Opposition Jobs Critic Gavin Dew says in response that there is concern about the NDP government’s lack of economic planning on issues such as AI, saying the jobs lost in the first four months of the year were largely full-time positions.
Meanwhile, Eby says the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be a boon for the province.
“Literally thousands of people in the hospitality and tourism sector will be supported directly by tourists coming from around the world, from as far away as Qatar, to visit British Columbia,” he said.
“In addition, when people visit, when they watch the games of their favourite teams here in British Columbia, we will show them the beauty and the amazing opportunities here in British Columbia from an economic perspective, because we’ll be hosting CEOs of major companies here, but also from a tourism perspective.”
Long-term, the premier says, B.C. is boosting funding for trades training.
“For the long-term, we have $250 million in training money in the budget, which now will be matched by federal dollars around apprenticeship support for people who choose to go into skilled trades, to work on an historic level of private capital investment in our project.”
–With files from The Canadian Press