Calgary and Edmonton labour markets are continuing to struggle, a report released today by BMO Capital Markets confirms.
The Regional Labour Market Report Card, by senior economist Robert Kavcic, shows how have far down the two Alberta cities are compared to other major centres in the country.
Edmonton is listed as 18th in the country in BMO’s City Labour Market Performance Ranking, down from the ninth position a year ago. Calgary has dropped from seventh overall last year to 22nd in March of this year.
The report said Edmonton’s population has grown by 2.1 per cent year-over-year while Calgary’s has increased by 2.2 per cent. Edmonton has seen employment growth of 4.5 per cent from a year ago while Calgary’s is slower at 1.6 per cent.
Edmonton’s unemployment rate has risen by 0.4 percentage points from last year to 7.1 per cent but Calgary’s rate has decreased by 0.5 percentage points to 7.7 per cent.
The employment rate was 67.8 per cent for Edmonton and 67.7 per cent for Calgary.
– Mario Toneguzzi
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