The unemployment rate in western Alberta dropped slightly for the month of February. According to numbers released by Statistics Canada on Friday, the economic region containing Grande Prairie had an unemployment rate of 9.8 per cent, down from 9.9 in January.
In February 2020, the regional unemployment rate was 6.9 per cent. The posted regional unemployment rate is not adjusted for seasonal employment.
The area continues to have the second-lowest unemployment rate in the province, placing behind the Camrose-Drumheller region at 9.5 per cent, and Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake region at 9.4 per cent.
The unemployment rate across Alberta went up slightly from January to February, from 10.6 to 10.7 per cent.
Statistics Canada also reports Canada overall added more than 259,000 jobs last month. That drove the unemployment rate down to 8.2 percent.
That’s the lowest it’s been since March of last year. With lockdowns lifting in some provinces in February the agency says the driving force behind the gain was employees returning to work in the retail and food sectors.