This is the lowest Alberta’s unemployment rate has been during the pandemic. But it’s still significantly higher since before the pandemic.
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Alberta unemployment finally drops below 10%
Tag: employment
Alberta gained 21,000 jobs last month, but we have over 100,000 jobs still sitting unfilled since the pandemic began.
Minimum wage increases between 2015 and 2019 didn’t raise unemployment among youth. Nor did they going back to 1976.
November and December were the only months since May when Alberta saw losses in full-time jobs, a combined 95,300.
Part-time jobs were up, however, which brings the net job losses to just under 11,000. This is the first month of job losses since May.
The employment rate is still 4.4 points lower than what it was prior to the pandemic, the largest gap in the country.
It seems that banks and other creditors providing deferral periods for their clients actually worked. And a federal benefit probably helped, too.
Alberta gained 9,700 jobs last month—it’s smallest increase since the pandemic began—but the forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas sector lost 9,100.
I combed minimum wage and unemployment data going back to 1976 and found no correlation between the two.
Alberta gained 9,700 jobs last month—it’s smallest increase since the pandemic began—but the forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas sector lost 9,100.