Alberta's April unemployment rate sits at 9 per cent, ties Ontario for second highest in Canada

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Alberta’s unemployment rate dropped slightly in mid-April to 9 per cent, compared to 9.1 per cent the month before, just as the province began to roll out restrictions to slow the spread of the third wave of COVID-19.

The data, released Friday morning by Statistics Canada, was collected April 11 to 17, just days after the province reverted back to Phase 1 of its public health restrictions framework to slow the spread of the third wave of the virus, but prior to the more stringent restrictions announced in early May.

In Alberta, approximately 38,000 part-time jobs were lost in April compared to the month before but full-time jobs went up by nearly 26,000.

In Edmonton, the unemployment rate went down 0.7 per cent to 10.5 per cent in April. In Calgary unemployment also dropped by 0.7 points to 9.3 per cent.

Alberta’s unemployment rate is tied with Ontario for second highest in the country, exceeded only by Newfoundland and Labrador at 13.9 per cent.

Nationally the unemployment rate rose 0.6 percentage points to 8.1 per cent.

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