The unemployment rate in western Alberta is back to where it was in the summer of 2016. Statistics Canada says the number of people looking for work jumped to 7.7 per cent last month, up from 7.1 in January. The last time it was this high was last summer, but it was even higher at 7.9 per cent a year ago.
Almost everywhere else in the province saw a drop, and Alberta overall added 19,000 full time jobs. That led to February unemployment rate dropping half a percentage point to 8.3 per cent.
It reached nine per cent in November, the highest it’s been since 1994. It’s still the third highest in the country.
The national jobless rate is tied with its lowest level in almost a decade.