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Labour force, unemployment rate both rise in Red Deer

The region’s seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate was 6.4 per cent in December 2022
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Red Deer’s unemployment rate rose slightly in December 2022, but so did the city’s labour force and total employment. (File photo by The Canadian Press)

A rise in Red Deer’s labour force caused the city’s unemployment rate to rise slightly last month.

The Red Deer region’s seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate was 6.4 per cent in December, which was slightly up from November’s 6.2 per cent, according to the latest Labour Force Survey released by Statistics Canada on Friday.

There were actually 1,000 more people working in December than there were in November. But the labour force rose by 1,200, which caused the unemployment rate to climb slightly – December’s workforce for the Red Deer area was 119,600 and November’s was 118,400.

Red Deer’s participation rate went from 65.5 per cent in November to 66 per cent in December.

The city’s unemployment rate in December 2021 was 6.5 per cent, with a labour force of 113,200, which is more than 5,000 fewer people than December 2022’s labour force.

Alberta’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.8 per cent in December, which was unchanged from the previous month and a decrease of 1.7 percentage points from the same month last year, according to labour force statistics released by the provincial government.

This rate was the seventh lowest in Canada after Quebec’s 4.0 per cent, Saskatchewan’s 4.1 per cent, British Columbia’s 4.2 per cent, Manitoba’s 4.4 per cent and Ontario’s 5.3 per cent. The national rate at 5 per cent was 0.1 percentage points lower than the previous month.

“Alberta continues to set the standard for employment in our nation,” said Brian Jean, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Northern Development.

“Our government is creating a business-friendly climate that builds momentum, supports high-paying jobs and further diversifies our economy. Thanks to our efforts, Albertans are prospering, and Canadians are taking notice. Record levels of newcomers are moving to our province to take advantage of our growing prosperity.”

Alberta’s employment increased by 24,500, while labour force increased by 24,700 compared to the previous month. Full-time employment increased by 41,200 and part-time employment decreased by 16,700 over the same period.

Between December 2021 and December 2022, employment increased by 88,800. The number of unemployed Albertans decreased by 39,600 over the same period.

Month-over-month, employment increased in the private sector (+15,100), public sector (+5,600), and self-employment increased by 3,900 over the same period. On a year-over-year basis, private sector employment grew by 64,700 and public sector employment declined by 12,300.

In December 2022, the industries that had the most employment decreases from the previous month were forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, and oil and gas (-6,600), wholesale and retail trade (-6,400), utilities (- 4,400), and other services (except public administration) (-2,700).

Industries that had the most employment gains over the same period were construction (+12,500), transportation and warehousing (+8,200), health care and social assistance (+5,200), and information, culture and recreation (+4,500).



sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com

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Sean McIntosh

About the Author: Sean McIntosh

Sean joined the Red Deer Advocate team in the summer of 2017. Originally from Ontario, he worked in a small town of 2,000 in Saskatchewan for seven months before coming to Central Alberta.
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