Calgary’s unemployment rate remained highest in Canada in April

Calgary’s unemployment rate remained unchanged in April, helping the city preserve the highest jobless rate in the country, according to Statistics Canada.

New numbers released on Friday show the jobless rate in the oil and gas hub sat at 9.3 per cent last month, the same as the month before and the worst among the 33 metropolitan areas surveyed.

March also marked Calgary’s 10th consecutive month with Canada’s highest unemployment rate.

A look at Calgary’s unemployment rate history:

  July 2016 – 8.6 per cent (Calgary’s unemployment rate becomes worst in Canada)

  August 2016 – 9 per cent

  September 2016 – 9.5 per cent

 October 2016 – 10.2 per cent

 November 2016 – 10.3 per cent

 December 2016 – 10.2 per cent

 January 2017 – 9.8 per cent

 February 2017 – 9.4 per cent

  March 2017 – 9.3 per cent

→ April 2017 – 9.3 per cent

In Edmonton, the unemployment rate dropped slightly in April to 8.1 per cent from 8.4 per cent the month before.

Employment in Alberta held steady in April after a period of growth that began in the fall of 2016. The unemployment rate was 7.9 per cent in April, down 0.5 percentage points from the previous month.

The national unemployment rate was little changed, dropping to 6.5 per cent in April from 6.7 per cent in March.