By Liam Verster

Unemployment drops

Unemployment rate for Grande Prairie region falls over two per cent in August

Sep 4, 2020 | 8:22 AM

New figures released by Statistics Canada and the Alberta Government shows the employment rate is rising across the province, including the region which encompasses Grande Prairie.

The seasonally adjusted labour force statistics shows there were 2,165,800 employed Albertans in August, compared with 2,156,100 in July. The Province’s unemployment rate also dropped by a full percentage point over that same period, and was recorded at 11.8 per cent in August.

While most regions saw positive changes to their unemployment rates, the Banff – Jasper – Rocky Mountain House and Athabasca – Grande Prairie – Peace River region saw the most significant change. The unemployment rate dropped from 14.4 percent in July to 12.1 per cent in August. That 2.3 per cent change was the biggest in the province.

(Statistics Canada via the Alberta Government)

Though the unemployment numbers continue to decline, they are still well above the year-over-year average. In August 2019, the unemployment rate in Alberta was 7.2 per cent, while the region that includes the Peace Country was at 5.4 per cent.

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The seasonally adjusted numbers from Statistics Canada now shows Alberta’s employment rate is third highest in the country (60.5 per cent), and is also higher than the national average .

However, the unemployment rate for Alberta is also well above the national average, and is the second highest in the country, behind Newfoundland and Labrador.

(Statistics Canada via the Alberta Government)

Meantime, Statistics Canada says the national economy added 246,000 in August as the pace of job gains slowed compared with July, when 419,000 jobs were added.

The figure marked the fourth consecutive month of gains from COVID-19 related lockdowns this spring, bringing the number to within 1.1 million of pre-pandemic levels.

Gains in August were largely concentrated in full-time work, which had been lagging behind gains in part-time employment.

Employment also rose at a faster pace for women than men for the third straight month as Statistics Canada reported women gained about 150,000 positions in August compared to 96,000 for men.

The unemployment rate fell to 10.2 per cent in August compared with 10.9 per cent in July.

Economists were expecting a slightly higher gain of 275,000 jobs in August and an unemployment rate of 10.1 per cent, according to financial data firm Refinitiv.

(With files from the Canadian Press)