For several months now, Kamloops has experienced the highest unemployment rate in British Columbia — and the second highest unemployment rate in Canada. It sounds bleak, but as an old song says, “At the end of a storm is a golden sky.” Some industries are even hiring.

So just how bad are things? “The current unemployment rate for Kamloops is 10.3 percent,” said Annick Irakoze, Media Relations Officer from Statistics Canada. “Out of the 41 Census metropolitan areas in Canada, Windsor recorded the highest unemployment rate in Canada [at] 11.1 percent, followed by Kamloops,” said Irakoze.

In terms of where we stack in British Columbia, Irakoze provided a breakdown. “British Columbia has seven Census metropolitan areas, and the unemployment rate is highest in Kamloops (10.3 percent), followed by Nanaimo (8.5 percent), Abbotsford – Mission (6.8 percent), Vancouver (6.1 percent), Chilliwack (6.1 percent), Victoria (5.1 percent), and Kelowna (4.1 percent),” said Irakoze.

“Regarding industries experiencing employment losses in Kamloops, the recent employment peak was in April 2025, when 83,000 people were employed,” said Irakoze. “By August, employment trended down to 67,000 people. Losses were mainly in wholesale and retail trade (-6,700), followed by construction (-4,200). Most of the decline in employment from April to August was among men and women aged 25 to 54 (-12,000) followed by youth aged 15 to 24 (-7,900).” said Irakoze.

 To get a better sense of the current landscape, we asked Statistics Canada which industries employed the most people in Kamloops. “Using average employment from January to August, which is 74,000 people employed, most people (top industries) worked in health care and social assistance, as well as in wholesale and retail trade (12,000 each), followed by construction (10,000), manufacturing (6,000), and professional, scientific, and technical services (5,000),” said Irakoze.

But as the old adage goes, when you’re in the basement, you can only go up. Innovation is one of the many biproducts of adversity.

“Historically, high unemployment rates can see an increase in new business starts as people who have been laid off or have difficulty finding employment will go into business on their own. These are usually small-scale operators/solopreneurs,” said Blair Gray, General Manager with Community Futures Thompson Country. “Our clients represent a small percentage of new business. We are busy with people who are interested in starting a business and will have upwards of 40-50 people through our Self-Employment program this fiscal year.”

But given the current economic climate, wouldn’t a new business struggle more than a long-established business? “Given the economic uncertainty, yes, new businesses have more to consider and greater planning around their business model is required than in periods of economic stability. That is not to say new businesses can’t be successful, as uncertainty can provide opportunities for new entrants into the marketplace,” said Gray.

“There are industries that feel the impact of volatile economic conditions, generally those that customers use their discretionary spending on. Those would be tourism, restaurants, and small-scale retail businesses. All of these industries are seeing higher operational expenses and have to adjust accordingly,” said Gray. “Interestingly, some industries are relatively resilient. Technology services, health care support services and certain home-based or online businesses are seeing continued interest. There’s also steady growth in trades and construction-related services, reflecting ongoing regional development.”

For many experiencing job loss, temporary employment offers relief during a job search. But has the economic downturn impacted temporary employment placements?

“We are seeing a decrease in temp placements, but we are seeing an increase in permanent placements,” said Karen Watt, Founder and CEO of Excel Personnel. “The temporary side is definitely down, but it’s gaining strength every month. Placements are down 40 percent since COVID, but our numbers are just starting to go up. We have more placements this year than we did last year.”

According to Watt, “small to medium sized firms in all industries” are not looking for temporary employees the way they used to.

“Since COVID, a lot of small to medium sized business have changed how they work,” said Watt. “COVID has taught our community how to work with less, so they have their call forwarding to themselves, they have someone else in the office to take over their spot.”

But like Gray, Watt emphasizes gains can come from times of upheaval. Watt started Excel Personnel in 1992 when she was downsized from a job. “I saw a niche,” said Watt. “I started knocking on doors to every business in Kamloops. The calls didn’t stop.”

Gray provides the following encouragement to those seeking employment. “Kamloops is facing its own unique challenges, but I wouldn’t say we’re worse off than other similar-sized communities,” said Gray. “Our unemployment rate has caused headlines recently, given how high it is in comparison to the provincial average; however, it isn’t uncommon to see help wanted signs in the windows of service industry businesses. It seems to be dependent on the industry and the background of the individuals who are unable to find employment.

“There are a lot of great resources and organizations in Kamloops that are funded by government that work directly with small businesses, especially for those who are new or just thinking about starting a business. My advice would be to do their research, really understand the market they are pursuing entrance into, and to get help from organizations like Community Futures, as that will give them their best opportunity for a positive business launch.”