The unemployment rate in the Drayton Valley statistical region remained below the provincial average in March, according to the latest Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada.
The area’s unemployment rate was 5.4 per cent in March, a slight decrease from 5.5 per cent in February.
Provincewide, Alberta’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 6.5 per cent in March, up 0.2 percentage points from the previous month but down 0.7 percentage points from the same time last year. Full-time employment increased by 21,500 from February, while part-time employment dropped by 15,000.
The sprawling Banff-Jasper-Rocky Mountain House and Athabasca-Grande Prairie-Peace River region continues to have the second-lowest unemployment rate among Alberta’s seven regions, with the Red Deer region at 5.2 per cent and Camrose-Drumheller at the highest rate of 7.9 per cent.
In March 2026, employment rose in eight out of 16 industries compared to the previous month. The largest gains were seen in wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, and the forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, and oil and gas sectors.
Month-over-month, the labour force grew by 13,300 to 2.84 million. Participation increased across all age groups: 15 to 24-year-olds (+4,900), 25 to 54-year-olds (+6,100), and those aged 55 and over (+2,300).
Alberta’s unemployment rate is the fourth-lowest in Canada, with the national rate holding steady at 6.7 per cent.
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