Edmonton unemployment rate holds at 7.2% in July as Alberta ties for second-highest in Canada
Statistics Canada's July labour force data show Edmonton's jobless rate unchanged from June, while Red Deer's rate dipped for a second straight month.
Why it matters
The unchanged jobless rate signals continued softness in Edmonton's labour market even as other regions like Calgary and Red Deer show improvement.
Alberta's seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate for July was 7.2 per cent in Edmonton, unchanged from June, according to the latest Alberta Labour Force Statistics. Calgary's rate fell to 6.7 per cent from 7.0 per cent, while Red Deer dropped to 6.1 per cent from 6.3 per cent, marking its second consecutive monthly decline.
Provincially, Alberta's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stayed at 7.0 per cent, unchanged from June but down 0.9 percentage points from a year earlier. That left Alberta tied with New Brunswick for the second-highest unemployment rate among provinces, well above the national rate of 6.4 per cent.
Alberta employment reached 2,670,000 people in July, up 91,000 from a year earlier but down 7,300 from June. Public-sector jobs rose by 4,500, while private-sector employment fell by 9,400 and self-employment dropped by 2,300. Full-time work decreased by 8,500 positions, offset slightly by a 1,000 gain in part-time jobs. Construction, finance and insurance, and other services saw the largest monthly gains, while accommodation and food services, business support services, and professional and technical services posted the biggest losses.
The unemployment rate for Indigenous people living off-reserve in Alberta rose to 14.8 per cent in July, up 1.0 percentage point from June and 4.4 points from a year earlier. Employment increased among Indigenous women, youth and older workers but declined among Indigenous men and core-aged workers.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.