New data from Statistics Canada shows the unemployment rate saw a slight increase not only in the large West Country statistical area, but also across the province.
Statistics Canada says 5.5 per cent of people in the Banff–Jasper–Rocky Mountain House and Athabasca–Grande Prairie–Peace River area were out of work at the end of March 2025.
While that number is lower than the provincial average (7.2 per cent), it’s an increase from December 2024 when the region had the lowest unemployment in the province at 3.7 per cent.
Provincially, the unemployment rate went up by 0.4 per cent.
Among Alberta’s four largest cities, the Lethbridge CMA had the lowest unemployment rate (5.1 per cent)
It was the highest in Red Deer at 8.5 per cent (-0.9% from February) while Calgary and Edmonton were both fairly flat at 7.2 per cent.
Data shows there was a sizable shift away from full-time work as those positions declined by 30,000 while there was a gain of 14,900 part-time jobs.
Some Albertan industries that saw job growth include construction (+5,700), natural resources (+5,600), and transportation and warehousing (+4,700).
On the other hand, jobs in manufacturing (-11,800), wholesale and retail trade (-9,200), and accommodation and food services (-6,600) were down.
On a national basis, the economy had its biggest job loss since January 2022, bringing the unemployment rate to 6.7 per cent.
The full labour force survey can be found on Statistics Canada.
READ MORE: Canadian economy lost 33,000 jobs in March, biggest loss since 2022
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