Unemployment steady in Alberta, on par with national average

More Albertans landed jobs in January, new Statistics Canada data suggests. Hannah Lepine has more.

Alberta’s unemployment rate dipped slightly last month, as did the national rate.

Statistics Canada released its January 2026 Labour Force Survey on Friday, which showed Alberta’s jobless rate dropping 0.3 percentage points from the month prior to sit at 6.4 per cent.

Canada’s unemployment rate, meanwhile, slipped to 6.5 per cent from 6.8.

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Employment in Alberta increased by 20,000 (0.8 per cent) in January 2026, bringing net gains since January 2025 to 86,000 (3.4 per cent).

Unemployment in Alberta cities

Unemployment in all four of Alberta’s largest cities declined in January.

Red Deer had the highest jobless rate, dropping almost a full percentage point from the month prior to sit at 8.1 per cent.

Lethbridge remained steady, sitting at 7.4 per cent in January compared to 7.5 in December 2025.

Edmonton saw a drastic decrease of 0.7 percentage points to sit at 6.8 per cent.

Calgary was relatively unchanged in January, sitting at 6.7 per cent compared to 6.8 in December.

“Overall, Calgary’s labour market is in relatively good shape as we start 2026, with full-time employment increasing, more people entering the workforce and the city maintaining the highest employment rate among major Canadian cities,” said Afiba Nyamekye, director of data and intelligence at Calgary Economic Development.

“The key story right now is resilience – Calgary continues to perform well compared to its peers, even as broader economic uncertainty means growth is likely to remain uneven in the months ahead.”

The Labour Force Survey examined the week of January 11 to 17, 2026.