EDMONTON -- Edmonton saw an increase in the number of employed workers in November but the capital city's unemployment rate is still higher than the rest of the province, new StatsCan numbers show.
The Labour Force Survey shows that 787,000 Edmonton residents were employed in November, an increase of 2,400 employed workers from October.
However, Edmonton's unemployment rate still rose from 7.1 to 7.7 per cent after factoring in growth in the labour force.
Calgary fared slightly better, adding around 300 employed workers and seeing its unemployment rate drop from 7.2 per cent to 6.9 per cent in November.
Overall, the number of employed workers in Alberta dropped by 18,200 from October to November.
The province's latest unemployment rate of 7.2 per cent is among the highest in the province, with only Newfoundland and Labrador (11.2 per cent), New Brunswick (8 per cent) and Nova Scotia (7.8 per cent) faring worse.
Canada's overall unemployment rate rose to 5.9 per cent last month, up 0.4 percentage points from October.
Responding to the job numbers in a news conference Friday, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said the numbers were concerning, but not unexpected.
"We're always disturbed to hear about any job losses in the economy and I'm sorry for those who continue to struggle looking for work," Kenney said, adding that the UCP government in Alberta inherited an economy that was "basically in recession."
He said Alberta saw positive growth in employment in September and October and said the latest rate drop isn't isolated to our province.
He said he hopes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "takes this as an urgent reminder on the need to focus on economy growth, job creation and competitiveness."
