A record 50,600 people held down jobs in Prince George last month, according to Statistics Canada labour market survey numbers released Friday.
The previous peak was 50,300, reached in August 2011.
The outcome was one of the bright spots in an otherwise troubling report that saw the number of employed declined by 14,500 for the province as a whole.
"What we've seen is a bit of a break out of the regional economies," said provincial Jobs Minister Pat Bell. "Most of the regions outside the Lower Mainland and Victoria posted some sort of job gain."
Bell, the Liberal MLA for Prince George-Mackenzie, said the outlook for Prince George remains upbeat due to the number of major projects planned for northern B.C. and the city's role as a service centre for the region. Mining in particular is providing a boost, said Bell.
"When I travel around the community and talk about the level of economic activity in the region, they're very very happy with the state of their business," Bell said.
Looking at the province overall, Bell said full-time employment actually increased by 9,600 positions but was offset by a loss of 24,100 part-time jobs.
July's figure for Prince George also represents a 600-job increase from the month before. Simultaneously, the city's unemployment rate dropped to 6.6 per cent from 6.9 per cent in June.
At the same point last year, 49,600 people were working but the unemployment rate was also 6.6 per cent. However, the total number of people either working or seeking employment has since increased by 1,100.
Looking at comparable B.C. communities, there were 55,900 people working in Kamloops, where the unemployment rate was 8.2 per cent. In Nanaimo, 48,100 were working and the unemployment rate was 7.5 per cent. And in Chilliwack, 43,800 were working and the unemployment rate was 9.3 per cent.
"It's looking like the economy's on fire in Prince George," said Initiatives Prince George analyst Tara Bogh, who noted employment has been on the rise for three consecutive months now.
The construction sector is providing a seasonal boost, Bogh said, but doesn't account for all of the increase as mining, forestry and oil and gas are also contributing.
And she said most of the jobs pay well and are stable.
"I think if people are looking for work, Prince George is the place to be looking for it," Bogh said.
