Kelowna's rising unemployment is making summer jobs harder to find

Young people in Kelowna, British Columbia, are finding it harder to land summer work as the local job market tightens. One job seeker said it took more than 20 store visits before he got an interview. Statistics Canada data shows Kelowna's unemployment rate rose from 6.3% in February to 9.2% in June, placing it among the highest for major Canadian urban centres. The increase appears linked more to rapid labourforce growth than to job losses, as more people moved to the city and joined the workforce while hiring did not keep pace. Recruitment specialist Kristie Nyrose said younger applicants are increasingly competing with experienced workers for entrylevel roles. She noted that demand remains stronger in some fields such as accounting and IT support, while construction and hospitality have slowed. Her advice to job seekers is to tailor applications, keep professional profiles updated, and keep building experience.