CPABC: Northwest B.C. labour force shrinks, as services-producing industries shed workers in 2025

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SMITHERS, British Columbia, Dec. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — According to BC Check-Up: Work, an annual report by the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC) on labour market trends across the province, the unemployment rate in Northwest B.C. was 7.4 per cent in November 2025, up from 5.2 per cent one year earlier.

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“We did see an uptick in unemployment and fewer people working,” noted Jeanne MacNeil, CPA, CA, partner at Edmison Mehr Chartered Professional Accountants. “The labour market really slowed down this year in the Northwest.”

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There were 39,900 Northwest B.C. residents who were working in November 2025, representing a year-over-year decline of 13.3 per cent (-6,100 workers). A reduction in full-time work (-5,300 workers; -13.8 per cent) accounted for the bulk of the decline, while the number of part-time workers also trended lower. As a result, the region’s employment rate fell 8.7 percentage points to 57.3 per cent.

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“With construction wrapping on some of the largest major projects, demand for services that supported that construction has waned,” added MacNeil. “There is still a lot of opportunity for further economic development.”

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Northwest B.C.’s services sector lost 8,100 workers (-22.9 per cent) between November 2024 and November 2025. Nearly every industry in the sector experienced a decline in headcount, except accommodation and food services where employment more than doubled during the year (+2,200 workers; +137.5 per cent).

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Meanwhile, the region’s goods sector employed 12,600 people after adding 2,100 workers (+20.0 per cent) in the 12 months ending in November 2025. The construction (+2,000 workers; +66.7 per cent) and manufacturing (+1,500 workers; +53.6 per cent) industries both expanded, while natural resources employment declined by 1,400 workers (-38.9 per cent).

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“All four of B.C.’s projects that have been referred to the federal Major Projects Office are in our region. There is an obvious appetite to keep developing in Northwest B.C,” concluded MacNeil. “Environmental impacts need to be considered, and it’s integral that the investments lead to long-term benefits, both economic and otherwise, to the communities and First Nations living here.”

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About CPA British Columbia

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The Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC) is the training, governing, and regulatory body for over 40,000 CPA members and 6,000 CPA candidates and students. CPABC carries out its primary mission to protect the public by enforcing the highest professional and ethical standards and contributing to the advancement of public policy.

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