The unemployment rate for the Grande Prairie area has risen for the second month in a row. The unemployment rate is now sitting at 6.6 per cent.
This brings the region back in line with the majority of the province. While areas like Edmonton and Calgary were hovering around 7 per cent unemployment in late 2017 the area that includes Grande Prairie, Banff, Jasper and much of western Alberta was at 5.6 per cent.
Calgary remains the high point in the province. They are sitting at 7.3 per cent while the Camrose/Drumheller region just next to them has the lowest rate of unemployment in the province at 4 per cent.
Canada shed about 7,500 jobs in May. This was a major contrast to a predicted 22,000 job gain by industry experts. Over 31,000 full-time jobs were lost and the unemployment rate is staying at 5.8 per cent.