Indications of a growing regional economy continued last month as the city's unemployment rate declined noticeably while the number of people holding down jobs edged upward.
The unemployment rate dropped to 7.4 per cent from 8.1 per cent in February and 200 more people joined the payroll, increasing the number working to 49,200, according to Statistics Canada labour market survey numbers released Friday.
Initiatives Prince George economic analyst Tara Bogh attributed the changes to continued increase in manufacturing employment after being relatively stable for the past year, alongside hikes in mining and forestry jobs.
The search for skilled labour remains ongoing. Bogh said there was a "strong response" when local employers participated in a jobs fair in Vancouver in late February.
Cal Purcell, the employer liaison at the newly-opened Prince George Employment Centre at the corner of Third and Victoria downtown, had much the same view.
"Long-haul truck drivers are in high demand," Purcell said. "We've had a few calls for electricians, primarily journeymen. They don't want to take apprentices right now, they need journeymen to manage the apprentices in all the different skilled trades."
