Prince George's unemployment rate rose last month but so did the number of people working.
The unemployment rate stood at 7.4 per cent in August but 50,300 people held down jobs, according to Statistics Canada labour market survey results released Friday, a total not previously seen.
Both figures are up from 6.6 per cent and 48,800 in July.
The apparent contradiction can be explained by labour force growth exceeding employment growth, said Initiatives Prince George economic analyst Tara Bogh.
"But with employment at the highest level on record and with such a hot economy, we definitely anticipate that those people entering the labour force on a monthly basis won't wait too long to be absorbed into employment," Bogh said.
"So the actual increase in the unemployment rate is really not a concern at this point."
It's an improved picture in both respects compared to a year ago, when the unemployment rate stood at 8.8 per cent and 49,900 were employed.
Bogh said month-over-month increases in employed have occurred largely in the service sectors led by an 800-person jump in healthcare and social services and a 500-person increase in wholesale and retail trade. Both now stand at 6,700 jobs.
Particularly encouraging for Bogh was a roughly 500-person or 26-per-cent increase to 2,400 in the information, culture and recreation field over the past year.
The natural resource and construction sectors are down slightly month-over-month and year-over-year but Bogh characterized the situation as relatively stable. For the Cariboo economic region, overall employment is up 2.5 per cent with similar sectoral increases.
Looking ahead, Bogh said a worker shortage may be looming.
"I anticipate that the economic activity will still be strong but whether or not we can keep seeing these employment numbers depends on whether or not we've got the bodies to do the work," she said.
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Fact Box
Labour Employed Unemployed Not in Labour Participation Unemployment Employment
Force Force Rate Rate Rate
Aug. 2011 54,300 50,300 4,000 16,900 76.4% 7.4% 70.7%
July 2011 53,100 49,600 3,500 18,000 74.7% 6.6% 69.8%
Aug. 2010 54,700 49,900 4,800 16,300 77.0% 8.8% 78.3%
