Northeast B.C. recorded an unemployment rate of 8.8 per cent last month—once again the highest in the province but lower than in previous months.
In July 2015, the region's unemployment rate sat at 6.4 per cent, with around 2,700 people unemployed. Now, there are 3,800 people without jobs, according to Statistics Canada's monthly Labour Force Survey.
The region's jobless rate peaked in March at 9.7 per cent, meaning nearly one-in-ten members of the labour force were unemployed.
Northeast B.C.'s unemployment rate was higher than other oil and gas-producing regions last month, including Athabasca-Grande Prairie-Peace River (7.8 per cent). Employment statistics were not available for the Fort McMurray area due to wildfires earlier this summer.
British Columbia recorded the lowest unemployment rate in the country at 5.6 per cent. The province added 85,000 jobs over the past 12 months—a Canada-leading increase of 3.7 per cent. Canada's national unemployment rate was 6.9 per cent.
At 8.6 per cent, Alberta saw its jobless highest rate since Sept. 1994 last month.
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