The province has released the latest labour force statistics for October, which show that unemployment is continuing to decline. 

Alberta’s unemployment rate is down to 10.7% from September’s 11.7%.  

In the Banff - Jasper - Rocky Mountain House and Athabasca - Grande Prairie - Peace River region, the unemployment rate sits at 10.8%, down 0.4% from September. This is the third lowest in the province, with Lethbridge – Medicine Hat doing the best at 8.7%. The highest unemployment rate is 12.6% in Camrose – Drumheller.  

(Courtesy Government of Alberta)

While the unemployment rate did decrease in the province by 1%, it is up 4% from October 2019.  

The unemployment rate decreased because employment increased by 23,400 and the labour force decreased by 2,700 people from the previous month. Full-time employment increased by 12,800 while part-time employment increased by 10,600 over the same period.  

Between October 2019 and October 2020, employment decreased by 129,500. The number of unemployed Albertans increased by 97,500 over the same period. 

Canada’s unemployment rate in October was 8.9%, a slight decrease from September’s 9%. Alberta’s rate is second highest in Canada, behind Newfoundland and Labrador’s 12.8%.

(Courtesy Government of Alberta) 

For the Alberta Labour Force Statistics October, 2020, click HERE, and for the highlights, click HERE.