Statistics Canada says Edmonton’s unemployment rate went up slightly in June.
The organization’s latest numbers show Alberta’s capital had an unemployment rate of 6.6 per cent in June, up 0.1 per cent from the previous month.
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Despite the slight increase, statistics released by Edmonton’s chief economist John Rose and senior economist Felicia Mutheardy show employment rose by 5,900 in the city’s Census Metropolitan Area from May to June.
The reason for the unemployment increase was due to a larger increase in the number of people looking for jobs in the area than employment growth, according to the economists.
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“Job gains in the Edmonton region continue to demonstrate that the region is recovering from the downtown in 2016,” Rose and Mutheardy wrote in a news release.
“With further month-over-month increases in June 2018, the Edmonton region’s full-time employment gains suggest employer confidence is on the rise as they add to their work-force and increase hours worked.”
The two economists believe employment in Edmonton should grow in the second half of the year in the manufacturing, professional services and financial services sectors. However, they do not believe the unemployment rate will change as more people look for jobs during the final six months of 2018.
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Calgary’s unemployment rate was unchanged in June from May at 7.7 per cent.
Across the province, the unemployment rate rose to 6.5 per cent from 6.2 per cent the previous month. Rose said Alberta’s labour force grew by 8,800 in June, while the number of jobs increased by about 2,000, resulting in the increase in unemployment.
The national average was 6.0 per cent in June, according to Statistics Canada, up from May when it was 5.8 per cent.
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