While Canada as a whole shed 200,100 jobs in January (-1.0%), Alberta’s labour market managed to add 7,000 positions (+0.3%). (The numbers have been adjusted to account for regular seasonal variation.)

Full-time jobs in the province lost ground, falling by 3,900 (-0.2%) while part-time employment increased by 10,900 (+2.5%).

Alberta’s unemployment rate fell from 7.5% in December* to 7.2% in January with about 180,000 Albertans looking for work but unable to find it.

Compared to a year ago, the number of jobs in Alberta was 5.4% (117,300) higher than in January 2021 and the unemployment rate was 3.6 percentage points lower.

Five provinces, including Ontario and Quebec, lost jobs in January.

*Statistics Canada has revised the Labour Force Survey data it released in early January. As a result, Alberta’s official unemployment rate in December is 7.5% instead of the originally reported 7.3%.

January Labour Force Survey data reflect labour market conditions during the week of January 9 to 15.

Answer to the previous trivia question: According to the Guiness Book of World Records, the tallest tower built out of Lego measured 35.05 m (114 ft 11 in) and was achieved by Lego Italia on June 21, 2015.

Today’s trivia question: What is the sample size of the national Labour Force Survey?