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Unemployment Rates

June unemployment rate down from May’s numbers in Lethbridge-Medicine Hat

Jul 5, 2019 | 7:09 AM

OTTAWA, ON – Statistics Canada says the economy lost 2,200 jobs in June compared with the addition of 27,700 jobs in May of 2019.

The unemployment rate across Canada rose to 5.5 per cent compared with 5.4 per cent in May.

ALBERTA

Overall, Alberta’s jobless rate for the month of June was 6.6 per cent. In May, it was at 6.7 per cent and in June 2018, the rate was at 6.5 per cent.

Locally, the Lethbridge-Medicine Hat region’s unemployment rate dropped.

For the month of June, it was at 6.2 per cent, compared to 6.5 per cent in May. One year ago, in June 2018, the jobless rate for the Lethbridge-Medicine Hat area was 4.9 per cent.

Camrose-Drumheller saw the highest unemployment rate in Alberta last month, at 7.2 per cent. This was an improvement over the month of May though, where the rate was at 8.9 per cent.

As for the other economic regions across the province:

· Red Deer – 7.1 per cent (7.5 per cent in May)

· Edmonton – 7.0 per cent (7.0 per cent in May)

· Calgary – 6.5 per cent (6.8 per cent in May)

· Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake – 5.8 per cent (6.0 per cent in May)

· Banff-Jasper-Rocky Mountain House and Athabasca-Grand Prairie-Peace River – 5.7 per cent (5.7 per cent in May)

In Alberta, the jobless rate was at 10.8 per cent for youths (male and female) ages 15 to 24. For adults (male and female, 25 and older), the rate at 5.9 per cent.

Alberta’s full numbers can be found here.

RATES BY PROVINCE

Overall, the unemployment rate broke down per province as such (numbers from the previous month are in brackets):

  • Newfoundland and Labrador – 13.3 per cent (12.4)
  • Prince Edward Island – 9.3 (9.0)
  • Nova Scotia – 6.6 (6.5)
  • New Brunswick – 7.8 (7.2)
  • Quebec – 4.9 (5.0)
  • Ontario – 5.4 (5.2)
  • Manitoba – 5.7 (5.0)
  • Saskatchewan – 5.1 (5.2)
  • Alberta – 6.6 (6.7)
  • British Columbia – 4.5 (4.3)

Economists on average had expected the addition of 10,000 jobs in June and Canada’s unemployment rate to rise to 5.5 per cent, according to Thomson Reuters Eikon.