Alberta's unemployment rate unchanged in February, Lethbridge rate jumps once again

Alberta's unemployment rate was unchanged last month, though the jobless rate in Lethbridge continued to climb at a startling rate.

Statistics Canada released its February 2024 Labour Force Survey on Friday, which showed Alberta sitting at 6.2 per cent, the same as the month before. 

Employment in Alberta rose by 17,000 (+0.7 per cent) in February, bringing overall gains since September 2023 to 73,000 (+3.0 per cent).

In Lethbridge, unemployment jumped an entire percentage point to sit at 6.3 per cent, marking the second major increase the city's jobless rate has seen recently; in January it climbed to 5.3 per cent from 4.6 per cent the month before.

In Calgary, unemployment rose slightly in February to sit at 6.1 per cent, up three-tenths of a percentage point from January.

In Edmonton, the jobless rate was largely unchanged, sitting at 6.6 per cent in February compared to 6.7 per cent the month prior.

The Labour Force Survey examined the week of Feb. 11 to 17, 2024, the same week the province announced plans to grow Alberta's tourism and hospitality sector through a new immigration stream.

The Tourism and Hospitality Stream, which launched March 1, is aimed at helping relieve labour challenges and help Alberta businesses attract and retain much-needed workers.

In a Friday statement, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade Matt Jones highlighted that while Alberta  only accounts for 11.7 per cent of Canada’s population, the province leads the nation in net employment growth, with 42.8 per cent of the country’s employment gains.

"With a highly skilled workforce, business-friendly policies, diversified economy and affordable, exceptional lifestyle, Alberta continues to be the economic engine of Canada," he said.

"Alberta continues to lead by example when it comes to jobs and the economy. Strategic investments, even greater diversification and a responsible budget means our province will remain a leader in Canada for investment and job growth."

The Alberta NDP also issued a statement on Friday, saying that Alberta has among the worst employment rate in Canada for women aged 25-54, lagging behind the national average.

"On International Women’s Day, this isn’t something to celebrate," said a news release.

"People coming to Alberta are not able to find meaningful work once they get here. Our employment rate isn’t keeping up with our influx of people looking for opportunities. When they arrive, people will see the government hasn’t kept up essential services they need like health and education supports, which are woefully underfunded in this year’s budget.

"Danielle Smith’s ‘Alberta is calling’ campaign needs to come with an asterisk that says: *but there may be no job, health care or education when you get here."

Nationally, the unemployment rate was 5.8 per cent in February.