By Liam Verster

Unemployment rate

Unemployment decreases in economic region that includes Grande Prairie and the Peace Country

May 7, 2021 | 10:44 AM

Data from Statistics Canada shows that the unemployment rate for the economic region that includes Grande Prairie and the Peace Region was recorded at 9.8 per cent in April.

The unadjusted figure is down from March, when the Banff – Jasper – Rocky Mountain House and Athabasca – Grande Prairie – Peace River economic region’s unemployment rate was 10 per cent.

The 9.8 per cent is also well below last April’s rate, which was recorded at 10.3 per cent.

The Northwestern Alberta region had the third highest unemployment rate in the province in April behind Edmonton and Red Deer, which both had rates 10.6 per cent. Calgary comes in next with a rate of 9.7, followed by Lethbridge – Medicine Hat at 8.7, Wood Buffalo – Cold Lake at 7.8 and Camrose – Drumheller at 7.6 per cent.

Meanwhile, Alberta as a whole saw the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate drop 0.1 per cent in April to 9 percent flat. This rate is the second highest in the country behind Newfoundland and Labrador, which was recorded at 13.9 per cent.

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Alberta’s decrease in unemployment was the opposite of the trend Canada as a whole saw.

Statistics Canada says unemployment rose from 7.5 per cent in March to 8.1 per cent in April as 207,000 Canadians lost their jobs.

StatsCan says the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was to blame for the job losses, which primarily came from industries most impacted by lockdown measures including retail (84,000 jobs lost), accommodation and food services (59,000) and information, culture and recreation (26,000).