Photo 92909538 © Arkady Vyrlan | Dreamstime.com

By Chris Brown

Province added 17,000 jobs in February

Jobs minister encouraged by Alberta gains

Mar 12, 2021 | 2:18 PM

Statistics Canada says the country’s economy added 259,000 jobs in February, almost wiping out losses sustained over the previous two months.

Alberta’s minister of jobs, economy and innovation says the gains in the country and province are a positive sign. Alberta’s jobless rate is 9.9 per cent, down from 10.7 per cent the month before.

“It is encouraging to see that 17,000 jobs were created in Alberta last month, which brings our unemployment rate to its lowest level in a year,” said Doug Schweitzer in a statement.

The minister is hopeful this is the beginning of a bounce-back for Alberta’s economy and job market.

“We can’t take our eye off the ball on recovery and diversification. We need to keep working to grow critical sectors and attract investment.”

IN THE COMMUNITY

Medicine Hat's Mustard Seed adding new shelter spaces at Alberta government's request

2h ago

HOLIDAYS

Medicine Hat Kiwanis hosting Christmas dinner, applications due Friday

4h ago

IN THE COMMUNITY

'Compassionate Friends' offer peer support for bereaved in Medicine Hat

20h ago

Locally, the Lethbridge-Medicine Hat region had the second-highest unemployment rate in Alberta last month.

The jobless rate for the region came out to 11.1 per cent. That’s down slightly from 11.5 per cent in January.

Schweitzer noted recent successes on the job front in the technology sector. Infosys plans to establish Calgary as one of its “tech and innovation hubs” and is bringing upwards of 500 jobs to Alberta. Another firm, mCloud, is moving its headquarters to Calgary to create more than 100 jobs.

“This follows records in venture capital investment in 2020, and 2021 is shaping up to be an even better year. We are building momentum towards a bright future,” said Schweitzer.

The national unemployment rate fell to 8.2 per cent, the lowest level since March 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The figures whipped past expectations of a gain of 75,000 and an unemployment rate of 9.2 per cent, according to financial data firm Refinitiv.

The country’s job numbers are now 599,100 jobs short of where they were in February of last year, or 3.1 per cent below pre-pandemic levels.

— with files from The Canadian Press and Lethbridge News Now.