The local jobless rate tumbled 0.4 percentage points in April, matching the decline in unemployment for the province as a whole.
Statistics Canada figures released on Friday placed the April unemployment rate for the Red Deer region at five per cent. That compares with 5.4 per cent in March and 6.7 per cent a year ago.
The average unemployment rate across Alberta last month was a seasonally adjusted 4.9 per cent, down from 5.3 per cent in March and 5.9 per cent last April.
The Banff-Jasper-Rocky Mountain House region posted the lowest jobless figure, at 3.4 per cent. Next was Camrose-Drumheller (four per cent), Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake (4.4 per cent), Lethbridge-Medicine Hat (4.8 per cent), Athabasca-Grande Prairie (5.1 per cent), Calgary (5.2 per cent) and Edmonton (5.4 per cent).
The April unemployment rate across Canada was 7.3 per cent, down 0.1 percentage points from March. Alberta’s number was tied with Saskatchewan for the lowest among the provinces.
Information provided by Alberta Human Services indicated that Alberta’s labour force increased by 4,000 and employment by 10,700 from March to April. During the past year, employment in the province has grown by 79,900 — the highest in Canada.