Calgary’s unemployment rate the highest in Canada for 4th straight month

Calgary’s unemployment rate climbed almost a full percentage point in October, making it the highest in Canada for the fourth straight month.

According to Statistics Canada’s latest jobless numbers released on Friday, the unemployment rate in the oil and gas hub was 10.2 per cent last month compared with 9.5 per cent in September – the worst among the 33 metropolitan areas surveyed.

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It’s also the fifth straight month that Calgary’s unemployment numbers have climbed; in July the city’s rate sat at 8.6 per cent. In August, it climbed to 9 per cent.

READ MORE: Alberta jobseekers considering alternative career paths in less-traditional industries

The federal agency reported the national unemployment rate was seven per cent in September, the same as the past two months.

In Alberta, the unemployment rate was unchanged at 8.5 per cent, with 9,000 jobs created in October.

Nationally, employment in natural resources increased by 10,000 in October, the first notable increase since March 2015, mostly in Alberta. Compared with October 2015, employment in the industry was down 20,000 (-5.6%).