Province ‘disappointed’ with latest job numbers, touts diversification plan

The loss of 16,000 Alberta jobs in January was disappointing, but the province is investing in opportunities to boost the employment rate, said Economic Development and Trade Minister Deron Bilous.

“The month-to-month numbers do fluctuate,” Bilous told reporters Monday. “Any time there’s a job loss, it’s disappointing.”

January marked the second month in a row that Alberta’s job numbers declined. The unemployment rate increased to 6.8 per cent, up from 6.4 per cent, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada.

The hardest hit demographic was young men between the ages of 15 and 24 due to jobs lost during the recession that haven’t returned, said University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe.

“The recession really hit oil and gas, construction and some associated oil-and-gas activities harder than any other sector. These are largely male-dominated portions of the economy,” he said Friday.

Bilous said the province continues to invest in partial upgrading and petrochemical facilities, touting the recent announcement from Pembina Pipeline Corp. to build a $4.5-billion propane-to-plastics facility near Edmonton.

In 2016, the province launched a petrochemical diversification program including royalty credits, grants and loan guarantees. Funding for the second phase of the program announced in March 2018 now totals $2.1 billion.

“We recognize that the recovery hasn’t reached every single Albertan at every kitchen table, and that’s why we remain focused on jobs,” Bilous said.

He added the province has maintained a tuition freeze to encourage young workers to return to school. “We’ve committed to those 3,000 new tech spaces and continue to try to provide opportunities for retraining and apprenticeships within the past couple of years,” he said.

Other provinces fared better than Alberta in the recent job numbers — employment jumped in six provinces, led by Ontario and Quebec. Saskatchewan saw a decline of 2,800 jobs, but its unemployment rate remained steady around 5.5 per cent.

Across the country, there was a rush of 66,800 net new jobs in January in a gain fuelled by a hiring surge in the private sector.