Unemployment rate drops slightly in Alberta, Calgary
Posted Jan 6, 2017 8:24 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Positive signs in the job market across the board Friday.
According to Statistics Canada, the country added more than 53,000 positions in December, destroying analysts who estimated some losses overall; though the unemployment rate went up slightly to 6.9 per cent as more people looked for work.
There are also some nice numbers in Alberta, as well.
The province performed quite well, wiping out half-a-point from the jobless rate, which now sits at 8.5 per cent.
Todd Hirsch, ATB Financial’s Chief Economist, says what’s really encouraging is 19,000 full time positions were created in the province last month, off-setting a loss of 12,000 part time spots.
“One of the big challenges throughout 2016 in Alberta was the deterioration of the job market. In other words, far more part-time jobs being created than full time. December reversed that a little bit,” he said.
The city of Calgary stayed relatively flat, shedding just one-tenth of a point to sit at 10.2 per cent, which is still the worst of any major centre in the country.
While there were some positive signs for the city and province in this report, Hirsch anticipates major gains in employment won’t be seen here until the second half of 2017.
