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Fifth straight unemployment decline for Lethbridge-Medicine Hat

Aug 10, 2018 | 9:36 AM

LETHBRIDGE – The jobless rate in Lethbridge-Medicine Hat continued its streak of declines.

The unadjusted three-month moving average for July was 4.7 per cent, down from 4.9 per cent in June. It was the fifth consecutive decline for the region, and the second-lowest rate in the province, though still higher than the 4.1 per cent one year earlier.

Only Camrose-Drumheller had a lower jobless rate in July, up slightly to 4.5 per cent. There were slight declines in Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake (6.3 per cent) and Edmonton (6.5 per cent) while Banff-Jasper-Rocky Mountain House/Athabasca-Grande Prairie-Peace River dropped significantly (from 6.7 to 6.0 per cent).

The three-month averages for Calgary (7.5 per cent) and Red Deer (5.6 per cent) rose from June.

The provincial seasonally-adjusted jobless rate climbed from 6.5 per cent to 6.7 per cent in July. Statistics Canada reported 3,600 fewer people working while the labour force added 1,400 people. The number of full-time jobs tumbled by 21,700 and that was not entirely offset by part-time job growth of 18,100.

Sectors with job gains included transportation/warehousing, health care/social assistance, and accommodation/food services. There were declines in the construction, finance/real estate, and professional/scientific/technical sectors.