Statistics Canada says the unemployment rate for younger Albertans is far higher than that of the general population. Mcardleh/Dreamstime.com

By David Opinko

Unemployment rate in Alberta double for younger workers than general population

Aug 9, 2024 | 11:23 AM

Younger Albertans are finding it harder and harder to get a job.

Statistics Canada reports the unemployment rate in the province was unchanged at 7.1 per cent in July.

Among Albertans aged 15-24, however, 14.3 per cent of those who can work are. It is even worse for students in the that bracket as 15 per cent are unemployed.

The agency reports that 58.8 per cent of students in the province have a job, down by 2.6 per cent compared to the same time last year.

Going back to the general population, there was a sizable shift in the makeup of jobs. Full-time employment increased by 46,400 in July compared to June while the number of part-time positions fell by 47,000.

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Job gains were experienced in industries such as educational services with an increase of 11,700 people, healthcare and social services with an additional 8,500 and natural resources industry up 4,900.

On the other hand, sectors such as accommodation and food services were down 10,100, professional, scientific and technical services lost 5,600 and transportation and warehousing decreased 4,000.

In the Lethbridge Census Metropolitan Area, which includes some immediately-surrounding communities, the unemployment rate improved to 4.8 per cent in July from 5.1 per cent the month prior.

A caveat to the improving local unemployment rate is that the labour force decreased by 900 in that time, which means that fewer people were actively looking for work.

More details on the Labour Force Survey can be found on the Statistics Canada website.