Employment
The number of people employed in the Thompson Okanagan Region increased from 293,800 in October 2020 to 307,600 in October 2021. Simultaneously, the number of people in the labour force increased from 319,600 in October 2020 to 322,200 in October 2021. Last month, participation rates were 66.8% in B.C. and 65.6% in Canada, while the Thompson Okanagan Region was 65.3%. The unemployment rate in the Thompson Okanagan Region decreased from 4.5% in October 2021 from 8.1% in October 2020.
Source: Statistics Canada LFS
Airport Passenger Volumes
Although recovery continues to trend positive in Q3, year to date passenger numbers continue to reflect the negative impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic on the airline, aviation and tourism industries in Kamloops. Passenger traffic is slowly recovering domestically with the increased services of WestJet Air Canada, Pacific Coastal and Central Mountain Air However, as international travel restrictions remain in effect and with new domestic vaccination requirements coming into effect, recovery across all sectors is expected to remain limited.
Source: Kamloops Airport Authority
Real Estate
Kamloops, BC – 03-11-2021: The Kamloops and District Real Estate Association (KADREA) reports that a total of 294 residential unit sales were recorded by the Kamloops & District Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in October 2021. This is 17.4 per cent below the numbers that were recorded in October 2020, which was 356. The average MLS® residential price in the area was $619,265, up by approx. 33 per cent from $465,911 recorded in the same month last year. Total sales dollar volume in October stood at $182.03 million, a 9.7 per cent rise from 2020, which was $165.8 million. There were 333 new listings recorded by the Kamloops MLS® last month and there were 878 active listings in the Kamloops & district region, as of November 03, 2021.
Sources: Kamloops and District Real Estate Association
Housing Sales across the Province October 2021
| Board | Avg. Price ($) | Unit Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Kamloops | 616,056 | 313 |
| Greater Vancouver | 1,223,131 | 3,545 |
| Fraser Valley | 1,040,008 | 1,870 |
| Victoria | 986,399 | 699 |
| Chilliwack | 800,393 | 383 |
| Vancouver Island | 726,691 | 811 |
| Kootenay | 481,147 | 379 |
| BC Northern | 403,101 | 472 |
| Powell River | 508,224 | 17 |
| South Peace River | 254,507 | 43 |
| Interior | 757,661 | 1,061 |
Housing Construction
There were 24 new housing starts in Kamloops in October 2021, which was down from the 93 starts in October 2020. The 24 housing starts represented $9,989,300 in construction value, compared to $15,799,962 in construction value for the 93 housing starts in October of the previous year.
Source: City of Kamloops
Building Permits
In October 2021, the City of Kamloops issued 36 residential building permits valued at $10,270,140, a decrease in total permits issued in October of the previous year at a value of $16,509,668. A total of 10 commercial building permits were issued in October 2021 with a value of $2,194,668 compared to the 14 permits issued in October 2020 with a value of $2,157,000.
Source: City of Kamloops
Business Licenses
Kamloops issued 54 new business license applications in October 2021 down from the 90 from the previous year.
767
Business Licenses
Issued (YTD)
435
Residential Building Permits
Issued (YTD)
112
Commercial Building Permits
Issued (YTD)
Source: City of Kamloops
