October in Review 
In October 2018, Prince George's unemployment rate was 4.8%, a decrease of 0.4% compared to the same month in 2017 when it was 5.2%. The unemployment rate of 4.8% for Prince George was higher than the provincial rate of 4.1% but lower the national rate of 5.8%.
 
Prince George's employment rate in October 2018 was 65.2%, a decrease from the same month in October 2017 when it was 68.3%, a 3.1 % reduction. The employment rate of 65.2% for Prince George which was higher than British Columbia's provincial rate of 62.1% and Canada's national rate of 61.5%.  
 
Total employment in the Cariboo Economic Development region was 78,700 during October 2018. This represents a decrease of 2600 jobs when compared to the previous month. The Cariboo region job numbers have reduced by 600 since January 2018 when total employment was 79,300. The Education category in Primary and Secondary had the highest increase in October with an additional 400 jobs being added and Transportation added 300 jobs. Job numbers decreased by 900 in the Construction category while the Retail Trade category decreased by 800 jobs.
Real Estate
The BC Northern Real Estate Board (BCNREB) reported the average house sale price (single detached) for October 2018 was $328,678 with 83 units sold in Prince George. For October 2017, the average house sale price was $322,118 with 87 units sold. The average house sale price has increased 2.0% when compared to the same month last year. 

When comparing new houses sold, Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) year-to-date data for Prince George indicate that 242 new units sold in 2018 compared to 2017 when 95 new units sold in the same time frame; this is an increase of 152.1%. 
Housing Construction
The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC ) reported 21 (12 SFD, 9 multiples) total housing starts in Prince George during October 2018 compared to 22 (21 SFD, 1 multiple) in October 2017. This is a decrease of 4.5% over the same month last year. There were 3 (3 SFD, 0 multiple) completions in October 2018 while October 2017 had 13 (9 SFD, 4 multiples) completions for both single family and multiple family dwellings. 

Year-to-date total housing starts in Prince George were 324 up to October 2018 compared to 201 total housing starts through October 2017, an increase of 61.2%. Year-to-date total housing completions in Prince George reinforce this economic activity; in 2017 Prince George recorded 67 total housing completions during this time period while 2018 year-to-date total housing completions totalled 279, an increase of 316.4%. Both statistics reflect strong performance this year for the construction industry in Prince George. 

Across BC, housing starts decreased by 45.3% from 4,543 (924 SFD, 732 multiples) in October 2017 to 2,486 (732 SFD, 1,754 multiples) in October 2018. The total number of completions in BC increased by 43.0% from 2,658 (1,073 SFD, 1,585 multiples) in October 2017 to 3,800 (891 SFD, 2,909 multiples) in October 2018.
Building Permits 
The City of Prince George issued 56 building permits valued at $15,666,634 in October 2018, including: $9,983,934 in single family permits, $1,600,000 in multiple family permits, $3,917,100 in commercial permits, and $165,600 in industrial permits.  This is a 32.9% increase in total dollar value of permits over October 2017 when 46 permits were issued at a value of $11,784,612.

Year-to-date building permit statistics continue to track the strong building activity in Prince George for 2018. In October 2018 a total value of $172,709,678 in building permits were issued compared to October 2017 when year-to-date building permits came in at $107,638,274. This represents a very positive economic indicator for Prince George in 2018 with additional economic spin-offs, both direct and indirect, across a broad array of sectors including good and services.                                                                                                                     
  

The complete Monthly Building Permit Report   for October 2018 and detailed descriptions of building permits issued is available on the City of Prince George website. 
Business Licenses 
The City of Prince George issued 13 new business licenses in October 2018.
 
The  Monthly Business License Report  for October 2018 is  available on the  City of Prince George website.
Passengers 
In October 2018, 45,755 passengers moved through the Prince George International Airport (YXS). This was an increase of 4.3% or 1,891 more passengers over October 2017 when passenger volume was 43,864. Year-to-date, air passenger traffic at YXS for 2018 is up 2.1% over volumes recorded in 2017. 
More Statistics...
The City of Prince George Economic Development Division offers a  dashboard that provides relevant up-to-date  economic data including the following: population, demographics, labour, tax, quality of life, housing, transportation, household income, education, companies, and utilities. Powered by Townfolio, this statistical tool is designed to help businesses and the community gain access to up-to-date statistics about the Prince George economy. 


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