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By Shane Clausing

unemployment rate drops

Unemployment down in Grande Prairie region, up slightly in Alberta

Oct 8, 2021 | 10:59 AM

The unemployment rate for the region that includes Grande Prairie sat at 7.1 per cent for the month of September, a 0.4 per cent decrease from August.

Last month’s job figures are also an improvement on a year-over-year basis. Back in September 2020, the unemployment rate for the region was at 11.3 per cent.

While September was a sixth consecutive month of decline in the jobless rate for the Grande Prairie region, Alberta as a whole saw unemployment grow slightly over the last month.

The province saw a 0.2 per cent increase from August, growing to 8.1 per cent for September.

Alberta’s unemployment rate is the fourth-highest in Canada after Newfoundland and Labrador (13.1%), Prince Edward Island (11.3%) and New Brunswick’s (9.3%).

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The national unemployment rate came in at 6.9 per cent for September, 2021.

Across the country the industries that had the most employment decreases from the previous month were construction and accommodation and food services.

Wholesale and retail trade, public administration and healthcare and social services all saw employment gains.

Meanwhile, Statistics Canada says the economy nationally added 157,000 jobs in September, helping bring employment back to pre-pandemic levels for the first time.

The last time Canada saw this large of an employment gain was in June 2021, when the economy added 231,000 jobs.

The statistics agency says the job gains were widespread, but concentrated in full-time work and evenly split between the public and private sector.

(With files from the Canadian Press)