KELOWNA, British Columbia, Dec. 11, 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 the Thompson-Okanagan was 8.1 per cent in November 2025, up 3.8 percentage points year-over-year.
“The spike in the unemployment rate coincided with a broad increase in the region’s labour force, despite slowing population growth,” noted Karen Christiansen, FCPA, FCA. “This was really concentrated in the region’s largest cities.”
The unemployment rate in Greater Kelowna was 11.0 per cent in November 2025, 5.9 percentage points higher than it was one year earlier. Greater Kamloops experienced a similar increase, where the unemployment rate jumped from 3.2 per cent to 8.8 per cent over the same period. For the rest of the region, where more than a quarter of workers live, the unemployment rate was 4.4 per cent, little changed year-over-year.
Overall, the region’s labour force participation rate increased 5.7 percentage points to 63.2 per cent in November 2025.
“Having more people available and looking to work has certainly led to an increase in employment,” continued Christiansen. “That is the positive takeaway, but it’s a tough job market for those who are still looking.”
There were 320,600 Thompson-Okanagan residents working in November 2025, up 6.4 per cent or 19,200 workers compared with November 2024. Full-time work accounted for the entire increase (+19,200; +8.3 per cent), while the number of part-time workers was unchanged.
Since November 2022, Thompson-Okanagan employment increased marginally (+8,300; +2.7 per cent), and lagged working-age population growth of 5.8 per cent over the three-year period.
“Employment growth was robust in 2025 but has been modest over the last three years,” continued Christiansen. “Services-producing industries in the region have been the main beneficiary of that growth.”
The Thompson-Okanagan’s services sector added 25,800 workers (+11.4 per cent) between November 2024 and November 2025, as most industries in the sector posted gains. Health care and social assistance posted a notable loss of 7,200 workers, equating to a 13.8 per cent drop.
Conversely, goods sector employment fell by 6,800 workers (9.1 per cent) year-over-year. Employment in construction and manufacturing edged lower, while there were 4,300 fewer people working in natural resources. Following an incredibly challenging 2024 harvest, employment in agriculture rebounded (+1,700; +77.3 per cent) year-over-year but remained below November 2023 levels.
“The trade dispute with the United States has presented both challenges and opportunities which have varied widely by industry,” concluded Christiansen “A resolution in some form would provide some stability to all businesses, but we also have to look at ways to diversify and strengthen the local economy.”
To learn more, see www.bccpa.ca.
About CPA British Columbia
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.
