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By Sheldon Spackman

4.4 per cent

Red Deer area unemployment rate drops lower in August

Sep 14, 2022 | 9:54 AM

The Red Deer area saw a notable drop in its unemployment rate last month.

According to Statistics Canada, the Red Deer area’s jobless rate was 4.4 per cent in August, down from 5.4 per cent in July and 9.8 per cent in the same month last year.

The Red Deer area’s rate compares to a jobless rate of 6.4 per cent in Camrose-Drumheller, 6.3 per cent in Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, 5.6 per cent in Calgary, 5.4 per cent in Banff-Jasper-Rocky Mountain House and Athabasca-Grande Prairie-Peace River, 5.3 per cent in Edmonton, and 3.9 per cent in Lethbridge-Medicine Hat.

Alberta’s unemployment rate was 5.4 per cent in August, up from 4.8 per cent in July, but still down from 7.9 per cent unemployment in August 2021.

The national jobless rate was also 5.4 per cent in August, up from 4.9 per cent in July, but still down from 7.1 per cent in August last year.

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Employment in the province edged lower by 0.3 per cent, by 6,500 positions, with full-time jobs down by 1.0 per cent or 19,600 in August compared to July. Part-time jobs were up by 3.1 per cent or 13,100.

The participation rate remained unchanged in August at 68.8 per cent.

NDP Economic Development and Innovation Critic Deron Bilous issued the following statement in response to Statistics Canada’s August job numbers:

“Albertans continue to struggle under the UCP as the cost of living rises and wages fall badly behind inflation. To make matters worse, Alberta lost almost 20,000 full-time jobs last month and the unemployment rate jumped half a percentage point.

“Instead of addressing the rising cost of living and presenting a long-term plan for job growth and diversification, the UCP is obsessed with its own internal drama that will scare away investment and destroy jobs.

“An NDP government will help Albertans by keeping more money in their pockets, building a more resilient economy, and creating good paying jobs.”

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