The B.C. government says a report showing the province added thousands of new jobs last month is a sign of its resilience despite challenging economic times.

Statistics Canada released the Labour Force Survey for November on Friday. According to the survey, B.C. saw 6,200 of the 54,000 new jobs in Canada.

Provincial Jobs and Economic Growth Minister Ravi Kahlon says the good news doesn’t mean B.C. hasn’t seen its share of challenges.

“We certainly have challenges. We’re seeing that in the forest sector in particular. But overall, our economy is very resilient and showing signs of strength,” Kahlon told 1130 NewsRadio.

He says the province is still struggling against trade uncertainty from the U.S. amid its trade war with Canada, China, and other nations.

“B.C. is being squeezed right in between,” said Kahlon.

“There’s often a saying that when the U.S. sneezes, Canada catches the cold. We need their economy to be doing well so that ours continues to do well.”

Acting as critic for small business and innovation, Kelowna-Mission MLA Gavin Dew pointed out that while the overall unemployment rate has dropped slightly, B.C.’s youth unemployment rate is heading in the “wrong direction.”

“Youth unemployment remains high at 12.5 per cent, and women are being hit harder at every age. Women’s unemployment sits at 6.7 per cent overall and a staggering 14.2 per cent for women aged 15 to 24,” said Dew in a public statement Friday.

Kahlon noted that B.C.’s rate of youth unemployment is among the lowest of all provinces — behind only Prince Edward Island and Manitoba — but says it’s a top concern of his.