Jobless rate on the rise in Kelowna as BC struggles to employ young people

The unemployment numbers are out for June and Kelowna has the unenviable number one spot.

Kelowna’s unemployment rate went up to 9.2 per cent last month, while Kamloops’ rate is up to 6.5 per cent and the provincial rate is 6.7 per cent, according to the latest Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada.

Kelowna’s unemployment rate has been fluctuating. In November 2025, it was 10.4 per cent then it went down to 6.3 per cent in February and now it’s back up.

Kamloops has fluctuated as well but it has stayed far lower than Kelowna’s. It was 8.7 per cent in November to 3.8 per cent in February.

Kelowna-Mission MLA Gavin Dew pointed to teens having a hard time finding their first summer job.

“The summer job is a rite of passage,” Dew said in a statement. “The first rung on the ladder is still missing for far too many young people.”

In B.C., 15 to 16 year olds are facing a 26.4 per cent unemployment rate, and those 17 to 19 are at 20.9 per cent. The national unemployment rate declined slightly for youth ages 15 to 24 to 12.7 per cent in June.

Restaurant Canada said it’s not because of a lack of restaurant jobs for youth. So far in 2026, the province saw the biggest increase in youth restaurant jobs with 16,800, followed by Alberta at 14,000 and Quebec with 10,000, according to a Restaurants Canada.

“As youth unemployment continues to be a major national concern, the restaurant industry continues to play an important role in ensuring young people have the opportunities they need to launch their careers,” Restaurants Canada president Kelly Higginson said in a release.

Opposition MLA Dew said there needs to be more focus on entry level jobs to help young people get into the labour market.

“B.C. has 16,900 fewer young people than a year ago, 5,000 fewer young people working and 5,600 fewer young people in the labour force. That is not a healthy youth labour market. That is a warning sign for the future of the province,” he said.