The unemployment rate in the Peace region has jumped by more than one per cent and is now higher than the provincial rate. 7.5 per cent of people in the economic region that covers most of western Alberta are unemployed, up from 6.3 per cent last month. That number is almost double what is was last December – 3.8 per cent.
Alberta’s jobless rate rose to seven per cent for the last two months of 2015, the highest it’s been since 2010. The number of residents looking for work is up by 58,000 and the province says 66,000 people were laid off last year.
The national unemployment rate stands at 7.1 per cent, with nearly 23,000 jobs added last month.