The unemployment rate in the two regions that cover Lloydminster – the border city is trending upwards for the first quarter of 2023.
The Prince Albert and Northern Saskatchewan area that includes Lloydminster has gone from 4.1 per cent in January to 5.4 per cent at the end of April.
Meanwhile the Camrose-Drumheller region that covers the Alberta side of Lloydminster, as well as Vermilion and Wainwright areas went from 3 per cent to 6.6 per cent over the first four months of this year.
However, when compared to last year’s first quarter numbers, the statistics show a 1.8 per cent improvement on the Saskatchewan side of the city, as April 2022 unemployment was at 7.2 per cent.
For the Alberta side of Lloydminster, that comparison saw a 1 per cent rise in unemployment for this year, as the statistic stood at 5.6 per cent for April 2022.
Overall, Alberta’s 5.9 per cent unemployment rate for the province saw a 0.2 per cent month-over-month increase. That number, however, is down year over year compared to the same month last year, which was 6.1 per cent.
For Saskatchewan, unemployment is at 5.1 per cent for April 2023 compared to 5.6 per cent for April 2022.
Statistics Canada states that Eastern Alberta’s 4.1 per cent unemployment rate last month was also down compared to the 6.1 per cent rate reported during the same month in 2022.
Across the country, the unemployment rate stayed steady at about five per cent in April.