Unemployment takes another jump in southern Alberta
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LETHBRIDGE – Unemployment in the region took another big jump in January but remained lower than a year earlier.
The unadjusted three-month moving average unemployment rate for the Lethbridge-Medicine Hat region was 6.6 per cent in January, according to Alberta Labour. That’s up from 5.9 per cent in December. The rate was 6.8 per cent in January 2017.
The area has gone from having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the province to one of the highest. Only Calgary (7.5 per cent) and Edmonton (6.9 per cent) were higher. Camrose-Drumheller came in the lowest, at 4.9 per cent.
The Alberta Labour Force Statistics package reports Alberta’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate rose from 6.9 to 7.0 per cent, with a net decrease of 7,800 jobs. However, Statistics Canada has revised the seasonal adjustment and amended the numbers for 2017. The federal agency reports a net decrease of 5,900 jobs. A decline of 33,400 part-time jobs was largely offset by the addition of 27,500 full-time positions.
