Alberta’s unemployment rate has gone up 0.3 percent to 8.8 in January as more people are looking for work, but the bad news doesn’t end there.
While the province gained 25,000 part-time jobs in the month, this was cancelled out by the loss of 24,000 full-time jobs. The Trade and Healthcare sectors continue to employ the most people in the province and saw gains during the month. Trade went from 325,000 Albertans employed in December to 331 in January. Healthcare meanwhile, rose from 276,000 to 278.
Alberta’s unemployment rate is the highest in Canada east of the Maritimes. Overall, 220,000 Albertans were considered unemployed in January. Once again, figures from the Wood Buffalo/ Cold Lake region are unavailable for this month due to insufficient response.