Brian Yu

Payroll counts in B.C. rebounded in January by a robust 0.3 per cent (8,600 positions) after a slight decline in December, according to the latest Statistics Canada Survey of Employment, Payroll and Hours (SEPH). That said, patterns have generally remained tepid with levels largely flat since 2023 as firms remain hesitant to hire amid trade uncertainty, and what has been a sluggish economic environment. …Positions in the construction sector increased by 0.6 per cent (+1,100 positions) while manufacturing posted a modest gain of 0.1 per cent (+159 positions). Forestry, logging and support, which had seen a sustained reduction in positions since early 2025, also saw positions grow for a second month, up by 0.8 per cent (+104 positions) in January. A multi-year downtrend in forestry has further been upended by tariffs.