The unemployment rate in Western Alberta has dropped more than two percent for the month of July.
According to Statistics Canada data released by the province on Friday, the economic region that houses the Grande Prairie area has an unemployment rate of 14.4 per cent in July, down from 16.5 per cent in June. Year over year, the overall unemployment rate for the region has jumped from 5.2 per cent in July 2019.
Western Alberta no longer houses the highest unemployment rate in the province, with Edmonton, at 15.5 per cent, and Calgary, at 14.9 per cent, placing higher.
The provincial unemployment rate meanwhile jumped to 12.8 from 15.5 per cent. The national unemployment rate dropped to 10.9, down from 12.9 per cent in June.