Unemployment rate jumps in Lethbridge-Medicine Hat region in January

Feb 7, 2020 | 9:07 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The jobless rate went up slightly in the Lethbridge-Medicine Hat economic region last month.

In January, unemployment was at 4.5 percent in the area. That’s up from 4.0 percent in December. However, the Lethbridge-Medicine Hat region saw the lowest unemployment rate across the province.

In Alberta, the jobless rate went up slightly as well, to 7.3 percent – an increase from 7.0 percent in the month of December.

Here’s how each of the province’s economic regions broke down in January (December’s unemployment rate listed in parentheses):

· Edmonton: 7.9 percent (7.4)

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· Red Deer: 7.4 percent (6.6)

· Calgary: 6.9 percent (6.8)

· Banff-Jasper-Rocky Mountain House and Athabasca-Grande Prairie-Peace River: 6.5 percent (5.9)

· Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake: 5.3 percent (4.2)

· Camrose-Drumheller: 5.1 percent (4.2)

· Lethbridge-Medicine Hat: 4.5 percent (4.0)

The latest numbers show that for youths ages 15 to 24 (male and female), the unemployment rate was 13.9 percent and breaking it down to adults (ages 25-plus, male and female), it was 6.3 percent.

Canada-wide, the economy added 34,500 jobs in January. The country’s unemployment rate went down a tenth of a percentage point to 5.5 percent, compared to 5.6 percent in December.

Most of the job gains were in Quebec, with an addition of over 19-thousand jobs.

by Justin Goulet

Unemployment rate jumps in Lethbridge-Medicine Hat region in January

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