Labour Force Survey: December 2020

January 8, 2020
General Business In the Media
newsroom+Labour Force Survey December 2020 v2

Calgary unemployment decreases to 10.4 per cent

Unemployment in Calgary dropped 0.3 percentage points to 10.4 per centWhile Calgary lost 1,000 jobs, the lower unemployment rate is a result of fewer Calgarians looking for work in December.  

This was the first month of job losses for the region, following five consecutive months of gains. In June, at the height of the impact of the first wave of COVID-19, Calgary’s unemployment rate reached 15.6 per cent.  

Alberta’s unemployment rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points to settle at 11 per cent in December, compared with 11.1 per cent in November. The national rate increased 0.1 percentage points to reach 8.6 per cent. 

The resource extraction (forestry, mining, oil & gas) sector saw  strong gains in December, adding 1,900 jobs through the month and contributing to the 13.9 per cent year-over-year gains for 2020. Educational services added 3,800 jobs in December, but the sector remains down 9.3 per cent over the 2020 year. Business, building and other support services lost 4,200 jobs in December, with the sector ending the year down 23.6 per cent through 2020.  

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