Alberta's unemployment rate climbs to 8.1% in September

A man works in an empty office. (Getty Images)

CALGARY -

Alberta's unemployment rate increased slightly in September and remains higher than it was before entering the COVID-19 pandemic. 

According to Statistics Canada’s September 2021 Labour Force Survey, Alberta had a jobless rate of 8.1 per cent last month, up two-tenths of a percentage point from August (7.9) and still above the pre-pandemic rate of 7.5 per cent in February 2020.

The survey, released on Friday, reflects labour market conditions the week of Sept. 12 to 18, shortly after Alberta reintroduced an alcohol service curfew at bars, pubs and restaurants, and urged employers to pause return-to-work plans.

Canada also, as of Sept. 7, eased restrictions for travellers from around the globe, potentially boosting the arrival of tourists and new immigrants.

Alberta was one of six provinces that saw unemployment increase last month.

The labour force survey did indicate employment in Alberta rose by 20,000 (+0.9%) in September, the second consecutive notable increase since March 2021.

"Gains were mostly in wholesale and retail trade," it noted.

Alberta Energy Minister Doug Schweitzer said Friday that, though there is still work to be done, the province is continuing its economic rebound. 

"This week we saw one of the largest proposed investments in our province’s history from Dow Chemical. Their announcement of the world’s first net-zero petrochemical plant shows that Alberta is diversifying our economy and is a global leader in emissions reduction," Schweitzer said. 

"We also saw Enbridge’s Line 3 come online, which has led to higher levels of energy exports. Last week was only the third time in recorded history that Alberta exported four million barrels of oil a day to the United States.

"Alberta’s Recovery Plan will continue to diversify today for jobs tomorrow. This year we have seen our film sector double in investment, our tech sector continues to grow rapidly and new momentum in our oil and gas industry. Alberta has a bright economic future."

In Calgary, unemployment dropped significantly, sitting at 8.9 per cent in September compared to 9.6 per cent the month prior.

Despite the drop, the city was tied with Toronto (8.9) as having the second highest unemployment rate out of any of the 34 metropolitan cities surveyed.

Only Windsor, Ont. (10.4 per cent) had a higher rate.

Calgary Economic Development spokesperson Dexter Lam said about 4,000 people joined Calgary's workforce in September. 

"The increases in both employment and the labour force participation are positive signs of growth after relatively flat periods for both over several months," Lam said. "It is an encouraging sign of a sustained recovery." 

He noted the sectors with the strongest job gains last month were transportation and warehousing with 4,000 more jobs, followed by finance, insurance, real estate and leasing, which as a sector added 3,400 jobs.Edmonton's unemployment rate in September was unchanged, sitting at 8.2 per cent.

Nationally, unemployment sat at 6.9 per cent in September, down from 7.1 per cent in August.