By Troy Gillard

Latest numbers show...

Red Deer jobless rate drops 1% in October

Nov 6, 2020 | 9:55 AM

The local unemployment rate took another step in the right direction last month.

October numbers released Friday morning show the Red Deer region’s jobless rate fell one per cent to 11.1 from 12.1 in September.

Red Deer’s unemployment rate in August was listed at 12.9 per cent.

(Alberta Labour Force Survey, Oct. 2020)

Alberta’s unemployment rate also continued its downward trend last month but remains one of the highest in the country.

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The province’s jobless rate dropped one percentage point to 10.7 per cent from 11.7 per cent in September.

Only Newfoundland and Labrador had higher provincial unemployment numbers, both sitting at 12.8 per cent.

Alberta’s monthly Labour Force Survey showed employment in the province rose by 23,000 (+1.1%), which marks the fifth increase in last six months.

Canada’s economy added just 83,600 jobs last month, well down from 378,000 in September and fewer than the 100,000 economists had predicted.

The national jobless rate dipped from nine per cent to 8.9 per cent.

Statistics Canada says the unemployment rate would have been 11.3 per cent if it had included the 540,000 Canadians who wanted to work last month but didn’t search for a job.

Most of the country’s employment gains in October were in full-time work.

Stats Can reports core-aged women benefited the most, bringing the unemployment rate in that demographic down to 6.6 per cent, the lowest among the major groups that it tracks.

(With file from The Canadian Press)