Local unemployment drops, continues to be lowest in Alberta

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on November 6, 2021.

https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

Local unemployment rate fell in October and continues to be by far the lowest in the province, according to figures released Friday by Statistics Canada.

The Lethbridge-Medicine Hat region posted a jobless rate of 5.3 per cent for last month, about half of one point below September’s rate, and well down from the 8.9 per cent rate posted in October 2020.

Alberta’s rate also fell by a half point in the monthly comparison to 7.6 per cent, a difference of 2.5 points year-over-year.

Economists prefer the 12-month comparison as it reflects seasonal changes in employment, such as the end of the agricultural and major construction seasons. Last month the labour force shrank as more workers returned to school.

The number of working Albertans actually fell by about 9,000 in the month to a total of about 2.26 million, but that’s about 75,000 more positions than in the fall of 2020. Recent new positions were added in retail and professional service sectors.

Rates in the major centres of Calgary (8.2 per cent) and Edmonton (7.7), dropped by 1 and 0.5 points, respectively.

Across rural Alberta, southern Alberta outside Calgary posted the lowest rate in the province at 5.3 per cent, followed by Wood Buffalo (6.2), Banff-Grande Prairie (7.1), Red Deer (7.8) and Camrose-Drumheller (10.2).

Alberta’s overall rate of 7.6 per cent is the highest west of the Maritimes and compares to a national average of 6.7 per cent. Saskatchewan’s rate lowered slightly to 6.2 per cent. British Columbia’s rate of 5.6 per cent was the lowest in Canada.

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