Calgary unemployment unchanged in May, still the highest in Canada

Calgary’s unemployment rate remained steady in May, leaving the city with 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 two months previous and the worst among the 33 metropolitan areas surveyed.

May also marked Calgary’s 11th consecutive month with Canada’s highest unemployment rate.

In Edmonton, the unemployment rate dropped slightly in May to 7.9 per cent from 8.1 per cent the month before.

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

→ May 2017 – 9.3 per cent

Employment in Alberta was little changed in May, slipping to 7.8 per cent from 7.9 in April. In total, the province added 19,000 new full-time jobs but saw losses in part-time employment.

The national unemployment rate was little changed, climbing 0.1 of a percentage point to 6.6 per cent, despite a surge in new full-time jobs.