Regional job market continues to lag behind rest of Alberta

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on March 14, 2026.

While the job market remains steady and nationally competitive in Alberta, the Lethbridge-Medicine Hat region continues to perform below provincial averages for employment.

Unemployment remains higher in the Lethbridge-Medicine Hat economic region than anywhere else in the province, with a February rate of 6.9 per cent.

It’s a 1.5 per cent increase in unemployment over this time last year in the region.

Employment and participation rates are also lowest, with 64.3 per cent of Hatters participating in the job market and 59.8 per cent of them employed.

However, the region is reporting five per cent year-to-date growth of the labour force, higher than any economic region except Red Deer, outpacing the average provincial pace of 2.8 per cent.

At the provincial level, Alberta continues to rank better than the national average for employment. The unemployment rate in the province for the month of February was 6.3 per cent, below Canada’s February average of 6.7 per cent.

It’s tied with February 2024 for the lowest unemployment rate since November 2023.

The lowest unemployment rates were registered in Saskatchewan, which posted a rate of 5.6 per cent.

Employment declined somewhat in February, with 1,800 fewer jobs than the month before. However, after large gains in January the province is still up on the year on employment, with a year-to-date net gain of 18,500 jobs.

Alberta has added 80,500 jobs over the past six months, with especially strong gains in September and November.

Jobs were added in the utilities and natural resources sector, while employment decreased for in construction, manufacturing and agriculture.

Employment grew for people aged 25 to 54 years old and fell among younger people, aged 15 to 24.