Lethbridge's unemployment rate fell in May as 900 jobs were added. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Unemployment improves slightly in Lethbridge, but worsens provincially

Jun 6, 2025 | 9:02 AM

Lethbridge had a bit of a different experience with jobs this past month than the rest of the province.

Statistics Canada says the local unemployment rate in May 2025 was 5.2 per cent, falling from 5.4 per cent in April.

An additional 900 people found work in that time.

The population of the Lethbridge Census Metropolitan Area, which includes some immediately-surrounding communities like Coalhurst, increased by 300 people to 116,600.

Red Deer had a great month in terms of its unemployment rate, falling by two percentage points to 6.2 per cent in May as the city added 1,900 jobs.

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Calgary’s jobless rate rose from 7.4 per cent to 7.8 per cent as its small gain in employment was outpaced by population growth.

The unemployment rate in the provincial capital of Edmonton remained flat at 7.3 per cent.

Altogether, Alberta saw its rate of unemployment rise from 7.1 per cent in April to 7.4 per cent in May.

The number of jobs fell by 1,700 provincially, nearly all of which were full-time positions.

Some industries in Alberta experienced growth in terms of the number of people employed, such as agriculture (+6,900), information, culture and recreation (+6,500), and professional, scientific and technical services (+4,300).

Others declined, including transportation and warehousing (-6,900), finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (-5,100), and public administration (-4,500).

The national unemployment rate was flat at seven per cent in May as the economy added just 8,800 jobs.

The full Labour Force Survey can be found on Statistics Canada.

READ MORE: Unemployment rate rises to 7% in May as economy adds 8,800 jobs

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