Alberta makes some gains in 'booming' employment market, but unemployment rate remains high
Alberta is continuing to gain back some of the thousands of jobs lost during the pandemic, but the provincial unemployment rate remains high.
New job numbers show Alberta's unemployment rate fell to 7.9 per cent in August, down from 8.5 per cent in July. Nearly 20,000 positions were added in the month, led by gains in the transportation and warehouse sectors.
"It's positive news," said ATB economist Rob Roach.
"But it's also that 18 months during which we haven't had any additional job growth. So, we have to catch up to where we were, but also (our economy has to make up for) the jobs that would have been created in the last year and a half. We still have some ground to make up. We're getting there, but a little to early to say 'mission accomplished'," he said.
WORKER SHORTAGE
Despite the high unemployment rate, Alberta is also experiencing a worker shortage. Some recruiters and staffing companies say there are thousands of positions that need to be filled.
"It's booming right now. Truly the job market is like nothing we've seen in quite some time. It's absolutely booming in all different sectors, different industries," said Cristina Schultz with About Staffing.
"It's really become a quite competitive market for job seekers."
Because of the positive market, Schultz says, workers are able to be pickier with where they want to work. Some employers are also having to provide incentives to fill jobs.
"Ultimately it really does come to a place where people are not out there actively looking for work. They're sitting at home being supported by the government," Schultz added.
Calgary's unemployment rate also decreased in August, but it is still sitting at 9.6 per cent -- higher than the overall provincial rate.
Alberta's 7.9 per cent unemployment is the lowest it has been since before the onset of the pandemic last March.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Calgary police shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers dealt with a distraught individual. The incident lasted almost 20 hours.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.