Employment was up in Alberta in September, with 12,300 new jobs in the province – but the gains were all in part-time work and the city’s unemployment rate rose as more people entered the labour force, Statistics Canada reported Friday. The number of private sector employees climbed by 10,000. There were also declines in educational services.
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It says that the 5.1 per cent unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) is the lowest of the provinces and has been for the past two years.
British Columbia had the country’s strongest growth in the number of jobs year-over-year to September, according to Statistics Canada data released October 9.
September’s job gains were led by a 32,500 increase for the information, culture and recreation category.
The number of self-employed increased by 31,000 in September, while public sector employment fell 29,000.
The economy has been a major topic on the campaign trail as it has struggled to find a footing after contracting in the first half of the year.
These days, we have nation-leading low unemployment despite the influx of thousands of newcomers – an encouraging sign the province has a more broad-based economy capable of generating new opportunities despite a temporary downturn in any one sector. Trade, transportation, finance, accommodation and food services also experienced job losses. These increases can not be sustained forever, and while we expect a recovery in hiring in the goods sectors, it is likely to be modest.
Although the energy industry has laid off thousands of workers in response to the plunge in oil prices, data showed the natural resources sector only lost 2,600 jobs in September.
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“The Canadian economy continues to recovery neatly, but a significant output gap remains, and growth is expected to moderate to about 2% annualized over the medium term, closing the output gap quite slowly”.
