By James Wood

Unemployment rate up in Medicine Hat

Sep 8, 2017 | 9:52 AM

MEDICINE HAT, ALTA- The unemployment rate in the local area has risen slightly since July, according to new federal statistics.

In July of 2017, Lethbridge-Medicine Hat had an unemployment rate of 4.5 per cent down from 7.6 in July of 2016.

However, the latest numbers for the region show an increase. The unemployment rate in August has now increased to 4.5 per cent, up from 4.1 per cent in the previous month.

Despite the rise, when compared to the rates across all provincial regions, Lethbridge-Medicine Hat was the lowest, with the highest at 9.2 per cent in Edmonton.

Within the Gas City, the unemployment rate rose to 4 per cent, with around 39,000 out of a 40,500 strong workforce. The month before, the unemployment rate stood at 3.6 per cent. The previous year, it was sitting at 11.8 per cent.

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Statistics Canada advised against monthly comparisons, due to small sample sizes.

Canada’s national unemployment rate was 6.2 per cent in August. Here are the jobless rates last month by province (previous month in brackets):

— Newfoundland and Labrador 14.7 per cent (15.7)

— Prince Edward Island 8.8 (10.0)

— Nova Scotia 8.9 (7.9)

— New Brunswick 7.8 (6.5)

— Quebec 6.1 (5.8)

— Ontario 5.7 (6.1)

— Manitoba 4.9 (5.0)

— Saskatchewan 6.4 (6.6)

— Alberta 8.1 (7.8)

— British Columbia 5.1 (5.3)

Nationally, there was an increase in the youth unemployment rates for those between the ages of 14 and 24. Canada’s labour market posted its ninth-straight month of job gains with the addition of 22-thousand, 200 net new jobs.

-with files from the Canadian Press