November surprise?

November's labour stats are out. A slight decrease in the rate pretty much across the board. There were 13,000 jobs added this month in Alberta and 79,000 added nationally, mostly in the service sector.

Apparently some economists expressed surprise at this increase. Personally, I just think it's compensating for last month's drop. As I said last month, I expect that these increases and decreases will be our reality for quite some time. So the numbers didn't surprise me. As long as natural gas prices remain low and oil is (relatively) stable, then this is Alberta's reality.

So I really don't have much more to say for now about employment stats. Can you believe that the first decade of this millennium is almost over? 10 years went fast. So I want to take a few posts and look at Alberta's labour market over the past decade. By looking over the past we may be able to pick out some trends for the future. My primary source is going to be Stats Canada, but if my readers (oh so many of you!) can suggest other sources for me to use, I'll certainly be willing to take a look. As we near the Christmas season and the end of the year, I want to thank everyone in advance for reading my blog and I hope to continue this for some time.