More jobs lost last month is evidence of Liberal jobs plan failure

VICTORIA—This month’s jobs report shows a dramatic loss of private-sector jobs in B.C., highlighting the continued failure of the Liberal jobs plan, say New Democrats.

“It has been more than two years since the B.C. Liberals launched their so-called ‘jobs plan.’ Not only do we have nothing to show for the millions of dollars spent advertising this plan, we now know that other provinces have shown gains where we have slid backwards,” said New Democrat finance critic Mike Farnworth.

The numbers show that B.C. lost 13,800 private sector jobs last month, and saw the employment rate hit a new low of 59.6 per cent, the lowest rate west of Atlantic Canada.

“When the Premier announced her jobs plan in September 2011, she specifically targeted the private sector. But since then, we have lost 10,500 private-sector jobs – that’s the worst record in the country,” said New Democrat jobs critic Harry Bains. “In fact, we were the only province showing an absolute decline in private-sector jobs.”

Bains said the government has also failed to invest in skills training, leading to a shortage of skilled workers in the province, and compounding the effects of its failure in job creation.

“Since the government dismantled the apprenticeship system in 2002, we have seen abysmal trades training completion rates of below 45 per cent,” said Bains. “The B.C. Liberal government needs to start promoting good, family-supporting jobs by investing in skills training and apprenticeship programs, and putting B.C. workers first in line for new jobs.”

The graphs below show long-term jobs trends, highlighting B.C.’s loss of jobs, and the gains enjoyed in other provinces.