The Kootenay unemployment rate has increased dramatically. Statistics Canada pegs the rate for December at 6.3 per cent, more than two times higher than December 2024 when the rate was three per cent. The federal agency reports there were about 81,800 Kootenay residents with jobs last month. Nationally, the unemployment rate was 6.8 per cent. Employment rose among people aged 55 and older, while it fell among youth aged 15 to 24.