Friday’s Owl reported that the number of jobs* in Alberta increased by 16,800 (0.8 per cent) in February compared to January. Job growth was not, however, even across industries.

The number of jobs fell in 8 of 16 major sectors. Almost 11,000 jobs were lost across the oil and gas, public administration and manufacturing sectors.

Agriculture jobs lost the most ground in percentage terms, falling 3.8 per cent (1,500) in February.

The largest monthly increase was in the accommodation and food services sector. With restrictions on in-person dining eased, 19,200 jobs were added for a rise of 22.5 per cent.

Seven sectors have yet to catch-up to where they were before the pandemic (see the chart below). The accommodation and food services sector was still down 48,400 positions (31.7 per cent) compared to February 2020.

The finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing sector has grown the most, adding 8,800 jobs over the last year for an increase of 8.9 per cent.

*The data have been adjusted to account for normal seasonal variation.

Answer to the previous trivia question: St Patrick's Day is an official holiday in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Today’s trivia question: In ancient Rome, our March 15 was known as the Ides of March. What’s the story behind the phrase “beware the Ides of March?”