VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – March was the worst month for job loss in Canada since the depths of the Great Recession in 2009.

BC was just one of the victims as Canada lost 54,500 jobs last month, according to Statistics Canada, when the average of economists’ expectations was for a gain of 6,500.

Employment in BC was down 14,800, off-setting most of the increase in February, but the situation is actually worse; 22,400 full-time positions were lost while 7,500 lower-quality part-time jobs were added.

The province’s unemployment rate rose seven-tenths of a point to seven per cent, and despite the provincial government’s much-promoted jobs plan, Statistics Canada says employment was little changed from a year earlier.

In the US, 88,000 jobs were created last month, less than half the average of economists’ expectations.