Kelowna and Kamloops have been recovering from sky-high unemployment rates at the end of 2025, but in March they started to rise again.

Kelowna’s unemployment rate was 7 per cent last month and in Kamloops it was 4.1 per cent, according to the latest Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada.

Those figures are up from February when in Kelowna unemployment was at 6.3 per cent and in Kamloops it was 3.8 per cent. But they are down from the 10.4 per cent in Kelowna and 8.7 per cent in Kamloops in November.

The provincial unemployment rate is at 6.7 per cent which is on par with the national rate.

Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon said President Donald Trump and his war in Iran have been hitting B.C.’s economy, but he’s optimistic about the summer.

“U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the war in Iran are significantly impacting the global economy and causing supply chain issues all over the world, and people and businesses are feeling the effects,” Kahlon said in a press release. “Despite overall losses last month as we see the impacts of Trump’s tariffs hitting B.C., today’s Labour Force Survey shows that B.C.’s economy is showing signs of strength.”

Kahlon said B.C. gained 3,700 more jobs in manufacturing, 2,800 more jobs in construction and self-employment was up by 13,300. But Statistics Canada found that 19,000 fewer people were employed in B.C. in March compared to February.

The BC Conservative critic for jobs, Gavin Dew, said the province should stop focusing on what’s happening south of the border.

“People are fed up with a government that blames everyone else. Stop talking about Trump. Stop posturing about pipelines. Look in the mirror, take accountability, and take action,” Dew said in a press release. “Two straight months of heavy job losses is not a blip, it is a warning sign.”