Edmonton loses jobs in April

Job numbers from Statistics Canada show sectors not directly related to oil and gas in Edmonton are starting to feel the impact of low oil prices.

The numbers were released on Friday and show that employment in the city dropped marginally in April 2015, marking the first downturn injobs since September 2014.

The job sectors most affected were manufacturing, retail trade, logistics and hospitality sectors, totaling 1,300 positions.

With the job losses,the city's unemployment rose, marginally, to 5.8 per cent compared to the 5.3 per cent in March 2015.

"If oil prices remain at current levels for an extended period, employment across most of the region's economy will be affected negatively," said the report, released by John Rose, the city's chief economist.

Province-wide, employment was up, with about 12,500 new jobs added to the economy in April, though many of those jobs were part-time positions. Alberta's unemployment rate remained unchanged from March, holding at 5.5 per cent.