"
 BCPB Home > Benchmarks > Rankings > Performance Indicator 26: Long-Term Unemployed

Performance Indicator 26: Long-Term Unemployed

Where BC Ranks, Provincial Comparison
Year

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Rank

8

8

8

9

10

8

9

7

6

5

Performance Indicator Twenty-Six tracks the proportion of those unemployed for 52 weeks or longer. Lower ratios earn better ranks.

British Columbia earned a fifth-place rank in 2008. BC had the lowest rate and best rank among provinces with full data in 2008 (see note below for more information). BC’s rate has been below the national average since 2006.

Note
This indicator is built up from two series: those unemployed for 52 weeks and those unemployed for more than 52 weeks. Several data points for one or the other series have been suppressed by Statistics Canada in recent years to maintain confidentiality. Provinces with missing values for either series are assigned a zero and a rank of one for this comparison.

Why It's Important
Long-term unemployment generally remains high for several years during economic recoveries, even though the unemployment rate rapidly adjusts downward. The last workers laid off are generally the first to return to work when the economy improves. People who have been unemployed for some time, along with less-skilled workers, are a larger proportion of this unemployed population.

International Comparison

In 2008, British Columbia ranked fifth among OECD jurisdictions while Canada ranked seventh overall. Both BC and Canada were well below the average OECD rate of 25.9 percent.

BC fell two positions from its third-place rank in 2007 despite a one percentage point reduction in its rate due to larger annual rate decreases by Iceland and New Zealand, which placed third and fourth, respectively.

European countries typically have much higher long-term unemployment rates, on average, than non-European OECD members.

Follow the link for a discussion note on Long-Term Unemployment and Joblessness.

Notes
Those (aged 15 and older) that were unemployed for 52 weeks or longer are considered long-term unemployed. The data shown for BC and Canada have not been adjusted to match the OECD standard.









>> Other Environment, Health and Society targets and indicators