Red Deer’s unemployment rate crept below 10 per cent in August.
According to the latest labour force data from Statistics Canada which is unadjusted seasonally, the city’s unemployment rate is 9.8 per cent, down from 10.2 in July. It is also down considerably from 2020 when the rate was 13.2 per cent.
The labour force in the region saw a decrease from July to August, by about 5,200 people while the number of employed individuals dropped by 4,200 people.
Provincially, Alberta’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.9 per cent in August 2021, a 0.6 percentage point decrease from the last month and a 4.3 percentage point decrease from the same month last year.
This rate was the fourth highest in Canada.
“Alberta saw 20,000 new jobs in August, with consecutive months of job growth across many sectors of the economy,” said Alberta Minister of Jobs, Economy and Innovation Doug Schweitzer.
“Our unemployment rate is now the lowest it has been in 18 months. With new investments in tech, film, energy, agriculture and more, Alberta’s Recovery Plan is creating jobs and diversifying the economy while building for the future.”
According to the labour force report, the unemployment rate decreased because the labour force increased by 4,500 and employment increased by 19,500 people from the previous month.
Full-time employment increased by 16,300 while part-time employment increased by 3,100 over the same period. Between August 2020 and August 2021, employment increased by 128,100. The number of unemployed Albertans decreased by 103,100 over the same period.
Year-over-year, the private sector led employment gains at 114,700. Public sector employment increased by 26,000 while self-employment decreased by 12,800 over the same period.
In August 2021, the industries that had the most employment decrease from the previous month were business, building and other support services, 3,800; forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas, 3,400; and manufacturing, 2,400.
Industries that had the most employment gains over the same period were transportation and warehousing, 11,600; information, culture and recreation, 6,400; and accommodation and food services, 5,300.