The provincial unemployment rate saw a decrease in November for Alberta.
According to Statistics Canada, it’s now at 7.3 percent, down from 7.8 percent in October.
But ATB Financial contends that it’s now at all related to a spectacular gain in jobs, but rather that fewer people reported looking for work. They say that a drop of 7,600 people in Alberta’s labour force supports their opinion.
Even still, 5,400 positions were added to the payrolls during that period across the province, bringing the year-over-year gains to a net new 34-thousand jobs.
Alberta, however, still has the highest unemployment rate outside of Atlantic Canada, with the fifth highest rate of all 10 provinces. Newfoundland and Labrador, at 14.4 percent, has the highest rate in all of Canada, while British Columbia has the lowest, at 4.3 percent.
Nationally, 79,500 net new jobs in November pushed the unemployment rate down to 5.9 percent, the lowest it’s been in nearly a decade. That was back in February 2008, which saw the start of the global financial crisis.
ATB says while the last several months has shown a mixed bag for Alberta in terms of jobs, the trend continues to be modestly positive.
– Posted by BET
