By Shaun Penner

Unemployment dropping

Unemployment rate for Grande Prairie region drops again in July

Aug 6, 2021 | 10:08 AM

The unemployment rate for the economic region that includes Grande Prairie and the Peace Region dropped to 8.2 percent in July, continuing the downward trend of the region’s unemployment rate over the last several months.

The unemployment rate in the region, which also includes Jasper, Banff, Rocky Mountain House and Athabasca, declined from 8.9 percent in June of 2021. That marks the fourth consecutive month of declines, after sitting at 10 per cent in March of 2021.

On a year-over-year comparison, the region’ unemployment rate is down from 14.5 per cent which was recorded in the region in July of 2020.

The 8.2 per cent unemployment rate was the fourth lowest registered in Alberta for July 2021. The Lethbridge-Medicine Hat region recorded the lowest rate at 4.4 per cent, followed by Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake at 6.2 per cent and Camrose-Drumheller at 7.2 per cent.

The highest rate in the province is in Red Deer at 10.2 per cent, with Calgary (9.7 per cent) and Edmonton (9 per cent) rounding out the province.

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As for the province as a whole. Alberta’s jobless rate was 8.5 percent in July, down from 9.3 percent the previous month.

Alberta’s unemployment rate ranks as the fourth highest in Canada, behind Newfoundland and Labrador (12.7 per cent), Prince Edward Island (9.6) and New Brunswick (9.3).

Alberta also trails the national rate, which fell to 7.5 per cent in July, down from 7.8 per cent in June.

Statistics Canada says the national economy added 94,000 jobs in July as public health restrictions continued to be lifted, with the gains coming primarily in Ontario.

The agency says the gains were concentrated in the service sector, with 35,000 jobs added in accommodation and food services.

July employment gains were largely in full-time work, which rose by 83,000 or half a percentage point and occurred in multiple sectors.

The result left the country about 246,400 jobs, or 1.3 per cent, below pre-pandemic employment levels seen in February 2020.

The number of people considered long-term unemployed was 244,000 higher than before the pandemic and accounted for 27.8 per cent of total unemployment.

(With files from the Canadian Press)