Regional jobless rate down year over year in March

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on April 11, 2023.

https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

Unemployment in rural southern Alberta for March fell compared to early 2022, according to figures released last week by Statistics Canada.

The Medicine Hat-Lethbridge region recorded a jobless rate of 5.1 per cent last month. That is down 0.7 of one percentage point from 12 months earlier, but almost a full point above February’s rate of 4.2 per cent.

The provincial rate also continued to fall and sat at 5.7 per cent last month led by improvement in Calgary (down by half a point to 7 per cent) and Edmonton (1.1 points lower at 6.2 per cent).

The local regional rate was only higher than the Wood Buffalo-Ft. McMurray mark of 4.4 per cent, while Grande-Prairie was 5.3 per cent, Camrose-Drummheller 5.4 per cent and Red Deer 7.7 per cent.

The national unemployment rate was unchanged at 5 per cent.

Jobs Minister Brain Jean touted the numbers and 10,000 new full-time positions as positive sign.

“Opportunities in our province continue to grow and more Albertans are finding good jobs and taking home regular paycheques,” he said in a statement.

Opposition energy critic Kathleen Ganley said unemployment in Alberta’s major cities is still highest in the nation, and wage growth has slowed under UCP policies.

“Despite positive job numbers last month, Albertans continue to struggle to pay their bills under the UCP as inflation outpaces wage growth and people fall further behind,” she said in a statement. “Despite positive job numbers last month, Albertans continue to struggle to pay their bills under the UCP as inflation outpaces wage growth and people fall further behind. In fact, Alberta has the slowest wage growth in the country.”

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