No monthly change to local jobless rate

By Medicine Hat News on November 7, 2020.

The unemployment rate remained flat in southern Alberta in October, according to new figures released by Statistics Canada on Friday.

Joblessness in the Medicine Hat-Lethbridge region sat at 8.7 per cent last month, up one-tenth of a point compared to September. That’s the lowest of any region in Alberta, but 2.3 percentage points higher than the same time last year.

Alberta’s overall rate fell by one percentage point to 10.7 per cent from earlier this fall.

A total of 23,000 jobs were added, about one third in the goods-producing sector as gains in oil and gas, manufacturing and construction offset losses in agriculture as harvest concluded.

Most new service jobs were in general trade, transportation, finance and social sectors.

Alberta Minister of Jobs, Trade and Economy Doug Schweitzer said that after four straights month of job growth about 253,000 jobs lost to the pandemic have returned.

Rates fell everywhere in the province except the Camrose-Drumheller region, which recorded the highest monthly rate at 12.6 per cent.

Major centres of Calgary and Edmonton fell to 11.3 and 12 per cent, respectively.

Wood Buffalo (Ft. McMurray) also dropped from double-digits to sit at 9.9 per cent.

Statistics Canada considers specific figures for Medicine Hat unreliable considering the size of the sample.

Alberta’s rate was the second highest in the country behind Newfoundland and Labrador at 12.8 per cent.

Saskatchewan led the country in terms of lowest rate at 6.4 per cent. The national average is 8.9 per cent.

13
-12