A 4.3% drop in part-time employment pulled down total employment in Alberta by 0.4% in October*. Full-time employment in the province increased by 0.5%. (All numbers are seasonally adjusted.)

Despite the reduction in the number of jobs, Alberta’s unemployment rate improved, going from 8.1% in September to 7.6% in October. The drop is due to about 24,000 workers leaving the labour force and no longer being counted as “unemployed.”

After finally catching up in September, the number of jobs in the province slipped below its pre-pandemic level by 5,300 (0.2%).

Nationally, total employment increased by 0.2% and the unemployment rate went from 6.9% to 6.7%.

The number of jobs in the country remained above the pre-pandemic level for the second month in a row, but just barely at 0.2% (32,100) higher.

*October Labour Force Survey data reflect labour market conditions during the week of October 10 to 16.

Answer to the previous trivia question: A bluefin tuna weighing about 600 pounds sold for $US 1.8 million at a Tokyo fish auction in January 2020.

Today’s trivia question: How many hours is the legally-defined standard work week in France?