Calgary recorded the highest unemployment rate in all of Canada last month as COVID-19 continued to wreak havoc on Alberta’s economy.
According to Statistics Canada’s August 2020 Labour Force Survey, Calgary’s jobless rate sat at 14.4 per cent last month, the worst among the 34 metropolitan areas surveyed.
August marks the second month in a row that the oil and gas hub has had the highest jobless numbers in Canada; in July, Calgary’s unemployment was a staggering 15.5 per cent.
Edmonton, meanwhile, recorded an unemployment rate of 13.6 per cent in August compared to 15 per cent in July. Edmonton’s August jobless numbers were the third highest in the country after Calgary (14.4) and Toronto (13.9).
Alberta’s unemployment rate remained among the highest in Canada in August
Alberta’s unemployment rate remained among the highest in Canada in August, according to the survey.
The jobless rate in Alberta dropped to 11.8 per cent in August from 12.8 per cent the month prior.
Only Newfoundland and Labrador had higher provincial unemployment numbers, sitting at 13.1 per cent compared with 15.6 in July.
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Canada adds 246K new jobs in August, unemployment rate falls amid coronavirus
The Labour Force Survey, released on Friday, reflects labour market conditions as of the week of Aug. 9 to 15, five months after the onset of the COVID-19 economic shutdown.
Nationally, Canada’s unemployment rate fell to 10.2 per cent in August compared with 10.9 per cent in July.
Statistics Canada says the economy added 246,000 in August as the pace of job gains slowed compared with July, when 419,000 jobs were added.
In the survey, Statistics Canada notes that, as of the week of Aug. 9 to 15, the total number of Canadian workers affected by the COVID-19 economic shutdown stood at 1.8 million.
A look at Calgary and Edmonton’s unemployment rate history:
April 2020
↑ Calgary – 10.8 per cent
↑ Edmonton – 10.0 per cent
May 2020
↑ Calgary – 13.4 per cent
↑ Edmonton – 13.6 per cent
June 2020
↑ Calgary – 15.6 per cent
↑ Edmonton – 15.7 per cent
July 2020
↓ Calgary – 15.5 per cent
↓ Edmonton – 15.0 per cent
August 2020
↓ Calgary – 14.4 per cent
↓ Edmonton – 13.6 per cent