B.C. job losses appear to be easing ahead of FIFA World Cup matches in Vancouver next month, when thousands of visitors are expected to visit the province and frequent businesses in June and July.

The province shed 4,300 jobs in April, according to Statistics Canada data released Friday.

That’s down from the 19,200 jobs lost in March and the 20,200 jobs lost in February. January marked the only month in 2026 in which the West Coast added to the labour market (+3,500 jobs).

The province has had a net loss of 40,200 jobs to start the year.

B.C.’s unemployment rate grew by 0.1 percentage point to reach 6.8 per cent in April as more people entered the labour force looking for work.

Canada’s unemployment rate reached 6.9 per cent last month, up 0.2 percentage points from a month earlier, as the nation shed 18,000 jobs.

Full-time work drove losses in B.C. (-11,700 jobs) as the province added 7,300 part-time jobs in April.

Losses were felt in B.C.’s retail/wholesale trade sector (-7,700 jobs) and in accommodation/food services (-6,400 jobs).

Gains were made in building, business and other services (+6,600 jobs), and manufacturing (+3,900 jobs).

“The underlying tone in Canada’s job market remains quite sour so far in 2026,” BMO chief economist Douglas Porter said in a note.

“For the Bank of Canada, not sure we can be any more direct, but it’s incredibly tough to see the logic behind the market’s pricing of more than one rate hike later this year, when the economy is struggling mightily to take even one step forward.”

TD senior economist Andrew Hencic said the ecoomic outlook looks “far from rosy.”

“However, with the labour market still soft, the ability of firms to pass on cost increases from the inflation shock to consumers is more limited,” he said in a note.

“This is a key factor that underpins our view that if the sharp rise in oil prices begins to reverse in the coming weeks, the Bank of Canada will be able to stay on hold this year.”

CIBC senior economist Andrew Grantham said he doesn’t see the central bank making a move this year.

“With ample slack in the labour market, [it’s] less likely that core measures of inflation will accelerate much in the months ahead, and as a result we don’t think that the Bank of Canada will need to respond to the current oil price shock by raising interest rates,” he said in a note.

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