Local jobless rates still high year over year

By Medicine Hat News on February 8, 2025.

@MedicineHatNews

The unemployment rate in rural southern Alberta remains much higher than one year ago, according to the latest figures from Statistics Canada.

That comes as the Alberta-wide jobless rate was steady over the same period.

The Medicine Hat-Lethbridge economic region recorded a 7.4 per cent jobless rate last month, up from 5.6 per cent in early 2024, and two-tenths of a point lower than December.

That’s as about 600 new positions were added last month – and about 5,300 over the last year – though the labour force grew by 9,100 people since early 2024.

Full-time employment in the region remained steady, while most of the employment growth was in part-time hiring.

Alberta posted a 6.7 per cent unemployment rate in the month, with Calgary (7.9 per cent) and Northeast Alberta (7.4) higher than the average and Wood Buffalo (6.2), Edmonton (5.7), Red Deer (5.8) and Camrose (4.4) below.

The national unemployment rate fell in the month to 6.6 per cent but is still up a point year over year, while Saskatchewan’s (5.4) was lower and British Columbia’s (6.0) was up slightly.

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