The number of people unemployed in the Lethbridge – Medicine Hat economic region saw an uptick of over two per cent in the first month of 2024.
According to the latest numbers from Statistics Canada, the region’s unemployment rate in January was 7.4 per cent, up from the 5.5 per cent reported in December. Though the month-over-month increase in the region was just over two per cent, compared to the same month in 2023 the unemployment rate saw a nearly four per cent jump.
Across Alberta, the unemployment rate to start 2024 was 6.2 per cent, a slight downtick from the 6.3 per cent reported in December; but a slight increase from the 6 per cent reported in the same month the previous year. The Red Deer region recorded the highest unemployment rate in January and the Camrose-Drumheller region reported the lowest.