Alberta’s unemployment rate unchanged in February, Lethbridge rate jumps once again

March 8, 2024 Canuck

Alberta’s unemployment rate was unchanged last month, though the jobless rate in Lethbridge continued to climb at a startling rate.

Statistics Canada released its February 2024 Labour Force Survey on Friday, which showed Alberta sitting at 6.2 per cent, the same as the month before.

Employment in Alberta rose by 17,000 (+0.7 per cent) in February, bringing overall gains since September 2023 to 73,000 (+3.0 per cent).

In Lethbridge, unemployment jumped an entire percentage point to sit at 6.3 per cent, marking the second major increase the city’s jobless rate has seen recently; in January it climbed to 5.3 per cent from 4.6 per cent the month before.

In Calgary, unemployment rose slightly in February to sit at 6.1 per cent, up three-tenths of a percentage point from January.

In Edmonton, the jobless rate was largely unchanged, sitting at 6.6 per cent in February compared to 6.7 per cent the month prior.

The Labour Force Survey examined the week of Feb. 11 to 17, 2024, the same week the province announced plans to grow Alberta’s tourism and hospitality sector through a new immigration stream.

The Tourism and Hospitality Stream, which launched March 1, is aimed at helping relieve labour challenges and help Alberta businesses attract and retain much-needed workers.

Nationally, the unemployment rate was 5.8 per cent in February.

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