Pearl Lorentzen
Lakeside Leader

This article is part of a series on the 2021 Canada Census. Unless otherwise indicated, all data is from the Census.

Unemployment in the Slave Lake, Wabasca and surrounding areas varied wildly in the 2021 Census.

On the low end, Canyon Creek, Widewater, and Smith had a zero unemployment rate for women (which may be an issue with the 25 per cent sample).

The total unemployment rate for women in the M.D. #124 Lesser Slave River was a bit higher than these three communities within its border, but still the lowest in the area for either gender at 5.8 per cent.

However, one Bigstone Cree Nation (Wabasca 166B) reserve had an unemployment rate for men as high as 85.7 per cent (for graph of unemployment rate and gender see Page 12).

This shows employment disparity within the region. There was both gender disparity and regional disparity.

Unemployment
In Canada, the legal working age starts at 15.

The following data is estimates based on a 25 per cent sample of people 15 years old and older in Slave Lake, Wabasca, and surrounding areas.

The survey asked about the week of May 2 to 8, 2021.

As noted in previous articles, these numbers are estimates and have a margin of error because of the sample size and not everyone filling out the census.

Generally, a low unemployment rate is considered an indicator of a good economy.

From lowest to highest (best to worse), the estimated unemployment rates (as percentages) for the area based on the 2021 Census: Sawridge and Kinuso (zero), Canyon Creek (5.7), Widewater (7.9), M.D. #124 (8.8), Slave Lake (9.6), Wabasca-Desmarais (16.9), M.D. #17 Opportunity (17.5), Bigstone Cree Nation (15.9 – breakdown of reserves on the graph), Loon River First Nation (22.2), Smith (25), and Swan River First Nation (28.6).

It should be noted that although Kinuso, Sawridge, and two Bigstone Cree Nation reserves (Desmarais and Jean Baptiste Gambler) had an estimated zero unemployment rate, this doesn’t mean that everyone 15+ was working.

Looking at Kinuso and Sawridge, both had a high percentage of people not in labour force – Kinuso 56 per cent (70 people) and Sawridge 42.85 per cent (15 people).

Employment
In Kinuso, Swan River First Nation, Bigstone Cree Nation, more people were not in the labour force than were employed, but in the six other communities employed was the largest category.

The Census defines people as employed, unemployed, or not in the labour force based on their answer to six questions.

  • the number of hours worked for pay or in self-employment
  • on temporary layoff or absence from job or business
  • the existence of definite arrangements to start a new job within the next four weeks
  • the search for paid work (fulltime or parttime) during the past four weeks
  • the availability to start a job during the last week, if one had been available
  • when last worked for pay or in self-employment.

Anyone who worked at all during that week was listed as employed.

Someone looking for work without success was unemployed.

People not looking for work were not in the labour force. One example of someone not in the labour force is someone who is retired. Also, students who do not have a part-time job would fall into this category. Also, stay-at-home moms, people who cannot work, and those not interested in working.

It is important to note that the communities in the area have very different population sizes, so comparison can be difficult. However, the graph on Page 12 shows the ratio within communities. It is the difference between different categories within a community (shape of the graph) which can be compared.

Slave Lake had 3,400 people employed (68.2 per cent), 1,225 not in the labour force (24.58 per cent), and 360 unemployed (7.22 per cent). There were almost twice as many employed than the other two categories combined.

When it comes to total population, M.D. #17 Opportunity has more people than M.D. #124 Lesser Slave River. However, as Opportunity has more children 14 and under, for employment the two communities are reversed. In M.D. #124, there were 2,445 people 15+ compared with 2,395 in M.D. #17.

In M.D. #124, there were 1,455 people employed (59.5 per cent), 850 not in the labour force (34.76 per cent), and 140 unemployed (5.72 per cent).

This is a lower unemployment rate (5.72 compared to 7.22 in Slave Lake), but higher percentage of people not in the workforce. In Slave Lake, 24.58 per cent were not in the workforce, compared to 34.76 per cent in M.D. #124.

M.D. #17 Opportunity includes Wabasca-Desmarais.

The two communities have similar shapes on the graph, with employment highest, followed by not in the work force, and unemployment third. However, the categories were closer in size than in Slave Lake or M.D. #124. In M.D. #17, 1,200 employed (50.1 per cent), not in the workforce 935 (39.04 per cent), and unemployed 255 people (10.65 per cent).

Generally speaking a high employment rate and a low unemployment rate are seen as indicators of a good economy, so the larger four communities can be ranked: Slave Lake, M.D. #124, M.D. #17, and Bigstone. Slave Lake and M.D. #124 were very similar, with M.D. #17 having high unemployment, but stiller showing the same pattern – employment highest, followed by not part of the workforce, and unemployment.

However, Bigstone has a different pattern. In Bigstone, 655 (66.08 per cent) were not in the workforce, 525 (37.1 per cent) were employed, and 225 (15.9 per cent) were unemployed.

The other four communities have a much smaller population of people 15+.

Loon River First Nation (310), Swan River First Nation (265), Kinuso (125), and Sawridge (35).

By employment rate, the communities are listed (highest to lowest): Sawridge 57.1 per cent (20 people), Loon River 45.2 per cent (140 people), Kinuso 44 per cent (55 people), and Swan River 26.4 per cent (70 people).

The unemployment rate is lowest to highest: Sawridge zero (zero people), Kinuso zero (zero people), Loon River 22.2 per cent (40 people), and Swan River (28.6 per cent).

By not in the labour force, the communities are listed as (lowest to highest): Loon River 41.94 per cent (130 people), Sawridge 42.85 per cent (15 people), Kinuso 56 per cent (70 people), and Swan River 60.37 per cent (160 people).

In the Census, unemployment includes people who were looking for work but not working the week of May 2 to 8, 2021. The rate is based on a survey of 25 per cent of the population. An unemployment rate of zero does not mean that everyone eligible to be employed was employed. For example, Kinuso had zero per cent unemployment rate, but only a 44 per cent employment rate.
Unemployment varied from zero in Kinuso, Sawridge First Nation, and two Bigstone Cree Nation reserves: Desmarais and Jean Baptiste Gambler (not on the graph) to 80 in Bigstone Cree Nation Wabasca 166B reserve. The unemployment rate in Bigstone across all reserves was 15.9 per cent (not on the graph).

Gender
The 2021 Census showed a lot of differences between how gender impacted the unemployment rate in different communities (see graph).

There was no hard and fast rule across communities. However, except in Slave Lake, the unemployment rate for women was lower (better) than for men.

Slave Lake had an estimated unemployment rate of 11.2 for women and 8.1 for men.

Bigstone (Wabasca 166) had equal unemployment rates.

Swan River, Slave Lake, and Loon River had similar unemployment rates for men and women.

More common were medium to large differences between the two genders.

M.D. #124, M.D. #17, and Wabasca-Desmarais had a medium gap.

The biggest differences were Smith (40 per cent men and zero per cent women) and four Bigstone Wabasca reserves (166A to 166B).

Unemployment in the Slave Lake, Wabasca and area by gender. There was a no set pattern.
The total of all people 15+ by community listed as employed (blue), unemployed (red) and not in the labour force (yellow). In Kinuso, Swan River First Nation, Bigstone Cree Nation, more people were not in the labour force than were employed, but in the six other communities employed was the largest category.