Alberta leads nation's job growth

Alberta's unemployment rate was up slightly in August but still remains well below the national average, the province reported Friday.

The seasonally adjusted rate was 5.6 per cent, up 0.1 per cent from July.

Alberta has the third lowest unemployment rate in Canada, behind Saskatchewan's 4.5 per cent and Manitoba's 5.4 per cent.

Alberta has lead the country in job growth in the past year. Year-over-year Alberta created 86,000 jobs, more than three times the national job growth rate of 1.3 per cent.

The public sector, insurance, and leasing sectors saw the highest job growth in the past year.