Local jobless rate nudged up

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on May 10, 2023.

https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

Medicine Hat News

The unemployment rate in southern Alberta rose in April.

Statistics Canada released province-wide data for last month on May 5, but the provincial Jobs ministry annalysis this week shows the jobless rate in the Medicine Hat-Lethbridge economic region sat at 5.7 per cent during the month.

That is up from 5.1 per cent in March, and 5.4 per cent in April 2022.

Across Alberta the rate continued to fall, following rates in major cities of Calgary (now 6.4 per cent) and Edmonton (5.7 per cent) in the three-month moving averages.

That brought the provincial rate down to 5.9 per cent, two-tenths of a point higher than March, but two-tenths of a point lower than the same period 12 months ago.

Fort McMurray was the only other region to see the rate fall.

Its rate tightened to 4.1 per cent (two points lower than a year earlier), while Red Deer remained even at 6.8 per cent, Grande Prairie rose to 5.9 per cent, and Camrose-Drumheller was one point higher at 6.6 per cent.

In Saskatchewan, the Swift Current-Moose Jaw region saw unemployment fell to 4.0 per cent, down from 5.9 per cent one year ago.