Calgary's unemployment rate jumps in December, provincial numbers unchanged

A stock photo showing workers at a construction site. (Pixabay/Joffi)

Alberta's unemployment rate was unchanged in December, though Calgary saw a sizeable spike.

According to Statistics Canada's December 2022 Labour Force Survey, Alberta recorded a jobless rate of 5.8 per cent, the same as the month before.

Though unemployment was steady, Alberta was one of five provinces to see growth in employment.

It rose by 25,000 (1.0 per cent) in December, the first notable increase since May 2022.

On a year-over-year basis, employment was up by 89,000 (3.9 per cent) and the unemployment rate was down 1.7 percentage points.

According to the report, the number of people working in construction in Alberta last month rose by 13,000 (5.8 per cent).

"Alberta continues to set the standard for employment in our nation," said Minister of Jobs, Economy and Northern Development Brian Jean in a statement on Friday.

"December’s numbers are proof that our economy is thriving and resilient thanks to our strong economic and fiscal policies and the actions we are taking to attract investment.

"Alberta’s growing economy, exceptional quality of life and affordability measures contribute to our province leading the country in third-quarter growth. Record levels of international migration paired with the highest net interprovincial migration in decades show that people from across Canada and around the world are taking notice of Alberta as the land of opportunity."

Calgary's unemployment rate jumped to 6.6 per cent in December from 6.0 per cent the month before.

In Edmonton, unemployment dropped a minor one-tenth of a percentage point in December to 5.4 per cent, and Lethbridge sat at 3.0 per cent compared to 3.5 per cent the month prior.

Nationally, Canada's unemployment rate fell slightly to 5.0 per cent last month (compared to 5.1 per cent in November) while the economy added 104,000 jobs.