Jobless rate higher in Grande Prairie/Peace region and across Alberta, but lower nationally

Alberta, and in particular the economic region that includes Grande Prairie and the Peace region, bucked the national trend when it came to jobless numbers in September.

The unemployment rate locally was 5.7 per cent last month, moving up from 5.4 per cent in August.

The provincial rate was also higher, but not as much – increasing just one-tenth of a percentage point to 5.5 per cent.

The national unemployment rate lowered two-tenths of a percentage point in September to 5.2 per cent, on the strength of 21-thousand additional jobs across the country.