B.C. shed 16,300 jobs in July, with the unemployment rate rising 0.3 percentage points to 5.9 per cent.
Jobs and Economic Growth Minister Ravi Kahlon blamed tariffs.
"Today's Labour Force Survey shows the impact of U.S. President Donald J. Trump's tariff threats is being felt across the country," Kahlon said in a prepared statement, "but B.C. will continue the work to defend workers and businesses against these threats, build a strong economy that's less reliant on the U.S. and create jobs for people in British Columbia."
B.C.'s biggest job losses were in construction, which shed 7,600 jobs, followed by education services, with 4,200 job losses, and healthcare and social services, with 3,200 lost jobs.
Nationally, employment fell by 41,000 in July, but the unemployment rate remained steady at 6.9 per cent. Unemployment rates factor demographic changes and job market participation into calculations. The participation rate nationally fell 0.2 percentage points in July.
Canada had gained 83,000 jobs in June, and B.C. had gained 5,000.
B.C.'s unemployment rate still bests the federal numbers, but the province has dropped from third to fourth in ranking among the provinces, overtaken by Quebec.
"Despite Trump's tariff impacts, this report shows B.C. continues to compare favourably when looking across Canada," Kahlon said.
One positive sign for B.C. was a decline in the unemployment rate for British Columbians aged 15 to 24. Though it remains much higher than for the rest of the population, the rate declined 0.9 percentage points to 12.1 per cent. The youth unemployment rate inched up nationally, hitting 14.6 per cent, the highest level since 2010, excluding during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The only province that lost more jobs in July than B.C. was Alberta, which lost 16,800 jobs and saw its unemployment rate rise one percentage point to 7.8 per cent.
