Image: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

By Alyssa Conti

FEBRUARY JOBS REPORT

Unemployment up in Chilliwack, Abbotsford as national average holds steady at 6.6%: StatCan

Mar 7, 2025 | 10:03 AM

CHILLIWACK — Statistics Canada’s latest jobs report shows unchanged unemployment rates in B.C. and the national average, but the needle is ticking up in a couple of Fraser Valley regions.

Chilliwack added 1,900 jobs in February, though it still couldn’t stave off a rising unemployment rate from 6.8 to 7 per cent last month– a 1.6 per cent jump from February 2024.

Across the Valley, Abbotsford-Mission lost 1,100 jobs, while unemployment rose by 0.3 points to 5.5 per cent.

These figures come as B.C. holds steady at 6 per cent, which is a slight improvement from the national average of 6.6 per cent. Utilities and tech-based professions dropped by a total of 18.4 per cent, but there were big gains in the fields of Agriculture (+24.5), as well as small wins in Finance and Real Estate (+1.8) and Health Care and Social Assistance (+1.2).

“B.C. is protecting services and defending people’s jobs and the economy,” said Diana Gibson, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation, in a statement released Friday. “Growing a stronger and more diverse economy will help protect people in B.C. from instability outside our borders, with investments that will bring good-paying jobs to the province in robust and sustainable industries.”

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The B.C. government has been beefing up its agriculture efforts in response to U.S. tariffs, and a recent budget announcement saw $4.2 billion going to growing health care services and hiring health care workers.

More details are available on StatCan’s February Labour Force Survey. The next big data release is slated for March 12th, with the Bank of Canada’s interest rate decision.