Vancouver Island Employment Trends
The unemployment rate in Nanaimo was 7.9% as of March 2026, up 0.2% from the previous month. The unemployment rate stood 11.2% below the peak from April 2011 but remains above the long-run average.
There were 1,300 fewer full-time jobs in March 2026 compared to a month earlier. Combined with a loss of 600 part-time positions, this led to a decrease of 1,900 total jobs in March.
Full-time employment was down 10,800 jobs from the peak in March 2024.
* All figures are seasonally adjusted, 3-month moving averages. Seasonal adjustment removes normal seasonal fluctuations.
