Calgary’s unemployment rate is highest in Canada as Alberta’s jobless rate spikes

news image
Calgary’s unemployment rate is now the highest in the country as residents deal with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
New numbers released by Statistics Canada on Thursday show the jobless rate in the southern Alberta city sat at 8.6 per cent in March

, a sharp increase from 7.4 per cent February and the worst among the 33 metropolitan areas surveyed.

Statistics Canada also reported that full-time employment in Calgary dropped by 4,500 positions in March and part-time employment fell by 16,600 positions.

The new data also showed that accommodation, food service, professional, scientific and technical service sectors have been hit the hardest.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Canada lost 1 million jobs in March

In Edmonton, the unemployment rate increased ever-so-slightly in March to 7.9 per cent compared with 7.8 per cent the month before.

According to Statistics Canada, unemployment rose in all provinces, with Alberta seeing unemployment spike to 8.7 per cent in March, up from 7.2 per cent the month before.

Alberta loses more than 117,000 jobs in March

Alberta’s jobless rate is one of the highest in Canada. Only New Brunswick (8.8 per cent), Nova Scotia (9.0 per cent), and Newfoundland and Labrador (11.7 per cent) have higher provincial numbers.

Alberta lost 117,000 jobs compared with just one month earlier.

[ Sign up for our Health IQ newsletter for the latest coronavirus updates ]

University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe said the situation in Alberta was already dire, and these latest Statistics Canada numbers only capture a snapshot of the larger economic picture.

“This is indeed the worst month in terms of employment reductions that we have ever seen in recorded history — the worst month during the great depression did not see employment drops larger than three per cent,” Tombe said.

The complex survey also found more than two-million Canadians saw a dramatic reduction in hours worked. About 1.3 million were employed but saw no hours worked, adding to the complexity of how labour markets are affected by COVID-19.

The survey was conducted during the week of March 15, before non-essential businesses were ordered closed and thousands of people were laid off.

“The numbers that we’re seeing today for March were for the week of March 15, that’s when Statistics Canada asked people about their employment situation,” Tombe said.

“So when we get the next job report in May, which will cover the first two weeks, then we will get a more complete picture of the scale and scope and depth of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

However, what differentiates this economic crisis from others is that the business shutdown is a choice, Tombe said, adding “it is a public health measure meant to slow the spread of the virus.”

“If left to its own devices, [it] would have more significant health and negative economic impacts.”

Tombe warned there will be larger losses in the future, and because of the recent drop in oil prices, Alberta will see a slower recovery than the rest of the country.

Calgary Economic Development (CED) released a statement on the new unemployment numbers Thursday, that asked for more federal support in the province.

“The sharp rise in unemployment in Calgary and Alberta from the early days of the oil price war and the pandemic is a harbinger of the tough times ahead,” president and CEO of CED Mary Moran said.

“Given the twin crises we face, we need the Government of Canada to be there with short-term and long-term support for Calgary and Alberta.”

TWEET THIS

Nationally, the unemployment rate jumped to 7.8 per cent from 5.6 per cent in February, the largest one-month increase since comparable record-keeping began in 1976. The previous record was the 125,000 jobs lost in January 2009.

Canada’s March labour market report was the first since the country started feeling a significant impact from the coronavirus pandemic.

READ MORE: 1 month after Alberta’s first COVID-19 case, what’s changed?

Alberta’s first case of COVID-19, a woman in her 50s from the Calgary area, was announced on March 5.

Two weeks later, on March 19, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw announced the province had recorded its first COVID-19 death.

READ MORE: Alberta Health Services, grocery stores, delivery companies among those looking to hire

In the month since the province’s first COVID-19 case was announced, schools across the province have been closed, communities have declared local states of emergency and non-essential businesses have been ordered to shut down.

— With files from Christa Dao

Read More

Categories

  • 16

    At-Home

  • 29

    Business

  • 176

    COVID-19 / Coronavirus

  • 370

    Economy

  • 5

    Education

  • 43

    Entertainment

  • 33

    Environment

  • 9

    Family

  • 0

    FAQ

  • 80

    Frontline Heroes

  • 25

    Government

  • 49

    Handwash Challenge

  • 45

    Healthcare

  • 5

    In Memory Of

  • 4

    Law Enforcement

  • 4

    Medical Equipment

  • 4

    Mental Health

  • 2

    Military

  • 108

    Pandemic

  • 0

    Personal Care

  • 94

    Politics

  • 10

    PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)

  • 33

    Quarantine / Lockdown

  • 13

    Quarantine Art

  • 69

    Quarantivities

  • 1

    Receipes

  • 0

    Relationships

  • 52

    Religion

  • 43

    Safety Tips

  • 10

    Science

  • 129

    Shelter-In-Place

  • 17

    Silver Linings

  • 190

    Social Distancing

  • 6

    Social Justice

  • 1209

    Sports

  • 100

    Technology

  • 887

    Toilet Paper Times

  • 32

    TPT Lexicon

  • 2

    Wildlife

  • 154

    Worldwide

  • TP Times
  • Recent
  • Popular
Mexican rave: the 10 best tequila cocktails – chosen by experts
Quarantivities

Mexican rave: the 10 best tequila cocktails – chosen by experts

  • By  The Toilet Paper Times
A 10-year-old girl has sent more than 1,500 art kits to kids in foster care and homeless shelters during the coronavirus pandemic
Quarantivities

A 10-year-old girl has sent more than 1,500 art kits to kids in foster care and homeless shelters during the coronavirus pandemic

  • By  usa
Mississippi’s Twisted Sisters: TikTok videos during coronavirus go viral
Quarantivities

Mississippi’s Twisted Sisters: TikTok videos during coronavirus go viral

  • By  The Toilet Paper Times
What the Hell Happened This Week? | The Daily Social Distancing Show
Entertainment Quarantivities Social Distancing

What the Hell Happened This Week? | The Daily Social Distancing Show

  • By  video
Coronavirus Update (Live): 97,078,572 Cases and 2,077,038 Deaths from COVID-19 Virus Pandemic
Toilet Paper Times

Coronavirus Update (Live): 97,078,572 Cases and 2,077,038 Deaths from COVID-19 Virus Pandemic

  • By  usa
Meghan Markle Speaks with Young Victim
Social Justice

Meghan Markle Speaks with Young Victim

  • By  thetoiletpapertimes@gmail.com
Princess Diana Would Have Been Fighting Institutional Racism
Social Justice

Princess Diana Would Have Been Fighting Institutional Racism

  • By  Gary Schwartz
North Carolina Still Can't Race
Social Distancing Sports

North Carolina Still Can’t Race | Waiting for Judge to Rule

  • By  Gary Schwartz
OCT. 26: DISCUSSING NEPAL WHILE EATING TOILET PAPER
Toilet Paper Times

OCT. 26: DISCUSSING NEPAL WHILE EATING TOILET PAPER

  • By  Toy Le Trolle
How to hang toilet paper
Toilet Paper Times

How to hang toilet paper

  • By  Toy Le Trolle
Cheap Chic Weddings 2009 Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest
Toilet Paper Times

Cheap Chic Weddings 2009 Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest

  • By  Toy Le Trolle
Cheap Chic Weddings 2009 Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest
Toilet Paper Times

Cheap Chic Weddings 2009 Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest

  • By  Toy Le Trolle

Tags

activities air pollution Amazon Australia bidet Bundesliga canada China climate change deaths death toll disinfectant English Premier League Europe France funny Germany hydroxychloroquine India Italy Japan kids lockdown Lysol masks New York NYC oil industry ppe prayer quarantine shortages soccer songs Spain stats texas Toilet Paper Trump uk unemployment United Kingdom United States W.H.O. White House briefing