Victoria Ranks Second in Canada with a 4.4% Unemployment Rate

VICTORIA, BC – Approximately five hundred people were hired in January 2017, tying BC’s capital with Quebec City for the second-lowest unemployment rate in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, the number one spot belongs to Brantford, Ontario.
In part, we can thank growth in various industries for this dip in unemployment. From high tech to shipyards, and from tourism to residential development, Victoria’s entrepreneurs in those sectors are continuing to hire.
Kael Campbell is owner of Red Seal Recruiting, a large recruiting firm for trades, construction, and manufacturing industries in Canada and the United States, headquartered in Victoria. He has noticed an unrelenting demand for positions in these sectors.
“Marine, transportation, high tech—Victoria companies are really starting to pick up and do more hiring,” Campbell states. “The number of jobs that EO Member companies are recruiting for has more than doubled since last quarter. It is great to see a rebound in Victoria but also in commodity prices. With mines re-opening and oil and gas producers ramping up production, there are thousands of Victoria families who depend on environmental, technical and maintenance work for employment in Northern BC and Alberta.”
Campbell is a member of a group of prominent entrepreneurs in Victoria, EO Victoria. This group alone employs more than 700 people in Greater Victoria.
While, Victoria’s unemployment rate is low, housing supply for employees is an issue. Fortunately, more condo buildings are sprouting up around Victoria, as well as in surrounding areas including Sooke and Mill Bay. The outlook of the housing market is also made brighter as work on the Trans Canada Highway is expected to bring down commuting times.

Kael Campbell is President and Lead Recruiter of Red Seal Recruiting Solutions, a company providing recruitment services in mining, equipment and plant maintenance, utilities, manufacturing, construction, and transportation. When he is not recruiting, Kael spends as much time as possible with family in the great outdoors and on the water. He volunteers his time as a Board Member of the Entrepreneurs Organization of Victoria and a Member of Victoria Marine Search and Rescue.
You are invited to subscribe to our employer newsletter or submit your resume.