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\t\t\t\tFILE – City of Calgary skyline. (iStock) <\/p>\n
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The city\u2019s labour market remained steady in April, while unemployment rose in most major Canadian cities, according to Calgary Economic Development (CED).<\/p>\n
According to Statistics Canada data reviewed by the CED, the city\u2019s full-time employment rose by 11,800 jobs between March and April, while part-time employment rose by 6,900.<\/p>\n
Calgary\u2019s labour force also expanded over the month, increasing by 14,900 people to reach over 1.1 million, which is a 1.3 per cent month-over-month gain.<\/p>\n
Despite the higher number of people entering the job market, the city\u2019s unemployment rate held steady at 6.7 per cent from the previous month.<\/p>\n
Among major Canadian cities that make up VECTOM (Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa-Gatineau, and Montreal), Calgary\u2019s unemployment rate didn\u2019t increase in April.<\/p>\n
The lack of change led Calgary\u2019s unemployment ranking to improve after having the second-highest unemployment rate among major cities in March. It was now the fourth-highest in April.<\/p>\n
Unemployment in both Montreal and Edmonton increased to 7.1 per cent, while Toronto maintained the highest unemployment rate among major cities at 8.2 per cent \u2014 a 0.1 point increase. Ottawa-Gatineau maintained the lowest rate among the VECTOM cities at 6.3 per cent after a slight rise. Canada\u2019s unemployment rate, on the other hand, rose to 6.9 per cent.<\/p>\n
Outside these major cities, Saskatoon and Winnipeg were significantly lower than Calgary at 5.6 and 5.9 per cent, respectively.<\/p>\n
Calgary also led major Canadian cities in its employment rate. It increased to 67.2 per cent, the highest among all VECTOM cities.<\/p>\n
While Ottawa-Gatineau and Toronto also recorded employment rate gains (62.7 and 61.2 per cent, respectively), Vancouver, Edmonton and Montreal all saw month-over-month declines. Canada\u2019s employment rate dropped slightly to 60.5 per cent.<\/p>\n
\u201cApril\u2019s numbers show Calgary\u2019s job market is holding steady, with more jobs added and more people looking for work, while still\u00a0maintaining\u00a0the highest employment rate among major Canadian cities,\u201d said CED CEO Brad Parry.<\/p>\n
\u201cCalgary is\u00a0demonstrating\u00a0resilience\u00a0as\u00a0people continue to move here for opportunity\u00a0and\u00a0employers continue hire.\u00a0The path ahead will be shaped by\u00a0ongoing\u00a0global economic uncertainty,\u00a0oil price volatility and shifting trade conditions\u00a0\u2013 making it critical that job growth keeps pace with a steadily expanding workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n
Health care and social assistance were major contributors to the city\u2019s employment growth, adding 28,500 jobs year-over-year, the largest increase among all sectors.<\/p>\n
Other yearly gains were recorded in business, building and other support services, and manufacturing.<\/p>\n
Employment gains month-over-month were led by wholesale and retail trade, followed by transportation and warehousing, and construction.<\/p>\n
However, several sectors saw year-over-year drops in employment, including construction, wholesale and retail trade, and educational services.<\/p>\n
On the month-over-month front, the losses were smaller. Finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing had the largest loss, followed by agriculture, and then forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, and oil and gas.<\/p>\n
CED says uncertainty\u00a0remains\u00a0present\u00a0nationally,\u00a0with\u00a0oil price volatility and geopolitical uncertainty continuing\u00a0for the\u00a0foreseeable future,\u00a0which will \u201ccontinue to\u00a0impact\u00a0our employment and\u00a0labour\u00a0conditions through 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
More information on the report can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\tFILE – City of Calgary skyline. (iStock) <\/p>\n \t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n Add CityNews Calgary as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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