[EXCERPT]
The vast majority of the jobs added across the province were part-time positions, which accounted for 48,500 of the jobs gained compared with 21,7000 full-time jobs added.
“It’s not surprising if you think about how many companies laid people off,” Ken Peacock, chief economist at the Business Council of B.C., told BIV.
He said it’s unlikely companies can bring back workers on a full-time basis amid the previous months’ lockdowns and lingering uncertainties.
“The way that companies are rehiring people — presumably on a part-time basis — is more of a cautious way to go about hiring rather than immediately jumping to 37 hours a week,” Peacock said.
“Businesses are going to face ongoing challenges in terms of costs. Bringing back employees is going to be difficult if sales are slow.”
Businesses face a circular problem, according to the economist: They need to drive more sales and require staff to do so, however, the cost of adding staff is likely more than what they can bear at the moment.
