Unemployment rates, by province
The unemployment rates of provinces in Western Canada are below the national average
A Prairie province has had the lowest unemployment rate in the country every year in the past three decades except for a six-year period (1985 to 1990), when the rate was lower in Ontario. Alberta has enjoyed the lowest unemployment rates in the country for last four years. In 2007, it had an unemployment rate of 3.5%, followed by Saskatchewan (4.2%) and British Columbia (4.2%).
Over the past three decades, Newfoundland and Labrador has had the highest unemployment rates in the country, and 2007 was no exception at 13.6%, 7.6 percentage points above the national average of 6.0%. Even so, it was the lowest rate since 1981. The province with the next-highest rate was Prince Edward Island, at 10.3%.
Since the early 1990s, women have had a lower unemployment rate than men in most provinces. However, the trend is much less pronounced in the west than in the east.
Unemployment rates, by province, 2007
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, CANSIM table 282-0002.
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