As the central Fraser Valley’s economy continues to hum and create jobs, the counter measuring just how many local people are employed ticked past a major milestone in June.
Statistics Canada’s labour force survey estimated that 100,700 people in Abbotsford and Mission were employed in some capacity last month. That’s the first time the region’s employment number has ticked past the 100,000 mark.
The area has seen substantial job growth in the last year. In June 2018, employment was estimated at 95,300.
Those figures are seasonally adjusted and come with some caveats. Abbotsford and Mission’s combined population is believed to have increased by nearly 4,000. And the actual unemployment rate has increased over the past year: from 4.8 per cent to 5.5 per cent.
That figure, though, is still low by historic standards and its increase is linked to the fact that more and more people are in the labour force and looking for jobs.
In fact, the participation rate – the measure of the proportion of the population that is in the job market – hasn’t been this high since 2013.
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tolsen@abbynews.com
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