It appears that Drumheller and the East Central area of Alberta are riding the crest of economic recovery, and it shows in having the lowest unemployment numbers in the province.
The Government of Alberta released is labour force statistics and in January the Camrose-Drumheller region had the lowest unemployment rate in the province at just 3.8 per cent. This is down from 3.9 per cent in December of 2011 and down from 5 per cent last January.
The overall unemployment rate for Alberta is 4.9 per cent, down from 5.9 per cent a year ago.
“I think we are seeing demand across all the sectors,”’ said Margaret Sparling service delivery manager at Alberta Works in Drumheller. "I think it is a general improvement in the economy.”
Alberta continues to fair better than the rest of the provinces and the national average unemployment rate. Currently Canada’s unemployment rate sits at 7.6 per cent, a 0.2 per cent improvement over a year ago.
Sparling said the Camrose-Drumheller region encompasses a large area and includes Lloydminster where there is significant oil and gas industry activity.
In Alberta the industries that saw the greatest growth in January were health care and social assistance, 8,700; forestry, fishing, mining and oil and gas, 5,200; and utilities, 4,500.
While the unemployment rate in the area is low, Sparling says there are still many jobs out there for those looking.
“Our Alberta Works Centre specializes in helping people find jobs, and our services are for everybody,” said Sparling, adding they work with both job seekers and employers looking for opportunities.
She said the job market is strong, including the one where jobs are not as visible.
“There is still a hidden job market, there are still a lot of jobs that are not advertised, so we try to gather that information to share with job seekers as well,” said Sparling.
