VICTORIA (March 10, 2023) – For the first time since records started being kept in 1987, the number of people in B.C. working multiple jobs to make ends meet has surpassed 200,000.
“Today’s B.C. jobs numbers reveal 204,000 British Columbians are working more than one job under the NDP — but even though people are working more, nearly half of British Columbians are still $200 away from insolvency at the end of the month,” says Todd Stone, Shadow Minister for Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation. “It’s unacceptable that Premier David Eby and the NDP have failed to produce any sort of vision or plan to grow jobs and the economy, nor provide meaningful relief to those struggling to pay the bills.”
A recent H&R Block survey also showed that 28 per cent of adult Canadians report taking on a gig job to boost their incomes, which is up from 13 per cent in 2022. Gig jobs include transportation and delivery services like Uber and DoorDash, homestay services such as AirBnB and Vrbo, freelance and contract work — from dog walking to construction, and marketplace platforms like Etsy. Sixty-three per cent cite concerns over rising inflation as a key motivator.
“High inflation and the NDP’s refusal to create a private sector jobs plan — instead favouring job creation in the public sector, which is unsustainable — is having severe consequences for our province and for workers,” says Stone. “The NDP can push out as much positive spin as they want, but it’s clear people are having a difficult time financially and this government isn’t doing much of anything to help them.”
