Lethbridge-Medicine Hat has the highest unemployment rate in the province in October at 8.6 per cent.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
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After a dip in September, employment numbers in southern Alberta made a slight recovery last month.
According to figures released by Statistics Canada, in September there was a 3.4 per cent dip in jobs in Lethbridge-Medicine Hat than in the same month in 2024. Unemployment also jumped from 6.2 per cent to 8.8 per cent year over year.
In October, employment rebounded, with 1.6 per cent more jobs available in the region compared to this time last year. However, unemployment remained higher than in October 2024, with the rate sitting at 8.6 per cent, up from 7.0 per cent last year.
The unemployment rate in Lethbridge-Medicine Hat is the highest in the province, followed by Edmonton at 8.2 per cent.
The population in the region south of Calgary has grown by a factor of 2.5 per cent in 2025 so far, but the labour force has shrunk by 3.4 per cent in that same period. Employment growth is in the red in this region in 2025, down 3.4 per cent, while the unemployment rate to date sits at 6.8 per cent.
Despite stagnation in the south zone, the province as a whole saw positive employment trends in October. It was the second consecutive month of increases, with employment growing by 10,300 jobs month-over-month.
Alberta’s employment growth year-over-year led the country at a rate of 3.9 per cent.
Employment grew in the major city centres of Edmonton and Calgary by 4.4 and 3.1 per cent respectively. The Camrose-Drumheller region boasted the province’s lowest unemployment rate at 5.5 per cent.
The teachers’ strike had an impact on October’s numbers. According to the province’s labour market report, the decrease in total hours worked by 9.6 per cent month, per-month is partly attributable to October’s labour action. The fall of employment in educational services by 11,600 is likewise related to the strike.
The average hourly wage in Alberta is $37.93 as of October.
