Red Deer Region’s unempoyment rate improved slightly in February.
Unemployment dropped to nine per cent from 9.2 per cent in January. That is still higher than a year ago when the rate was 8.3 per cent.
The provincial unemployment last month was 8.3 per cent, down from 8.8 per cent a month earlier. In February 2016 unemployment was at 7.9 per cent.
Red Deer Region once led the province in unemployment but has now fallen to middle of the pack. Camrose-Drumheller was at 9.7 per cent and Wood-Buffalo Cold Lake and Calgary were at 9.1 per cent.
Edmonton (8.4), Banff-Jasper-Rocky Mountain House and Athabasca-Grande Prairie-Peace River were (7.7) and Lethbridge-Medicine Hat (6.6) rounded out the province’s seven regions.
Alberta’s unemployment rate is the highest in Canada after Newfoundland at 14.2 per cent, Prince Edward Island at 10 per cent and New Brunswick at 8.9 per cent.
B.C. the lowest unemployment rate at 5.1 per cent. The national average is 6.6 per cent.