While Alberta is performing well on the national job market, numbers still show the Lethbridge-Medicine Hat region with the highest unemployment in the province.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com
The latest numbers released by Statistics Canada on Friday show Alberta exceeding the national average on several key labour market indicators, although unemployment remains highest in the Lethbridge-Medicine Hat region.
The Lethbridge-Medicine Hat region continued to post the province’s highest seasonally unadjusted three-month average unemployment rate, which was just under 7 per cent in January.
Population, labour force and employment all increased in the region through the first month of the year.
The region with the lowest unemployment rate was Banff-Jasper-Rocky Mountain House and Athabasca-Grande Prairie-Peace River, where unemployment was 5.2 per cent.
Unemployment in Alberta ranked roughly average nationwide, with the provincial unemployment rate of 6.4 per cent representing the fifth lowest in the country.
Alberta’s year-over-year employment gains led the country, with employment growing 3.4 per cent since January 2025.
Canadian employment dropped by 24,800 jobs in January, led by an outsized drop in Ontario.
Alberta added 20,300 jobs in January, with the majority being full-time positions. Including the January tally, the province has gained 86,400 jobs since January 2025.
The demographics that experienced the most growth in labour force were 15 to 24 year olds, where 8,500 workers joined the market, and people 55 or over, with 19,500 more workers joining the labour force.
Meanwhile, the bracket of adults aged 24 to 55 saw 14,700 fewer participants than the previous month.
The majority of new employment was in the self-employed sector, while jobs in the private and public sector both decreased in the month of January.
The average weekly wage has remained roughly consistent month-to-month at $1,419.21.
