Statistics Canada says the number of Albertans receiving employment insurance has doubled in a year.
It’s the latest sign of the province’s economic struggles driven by falling oil prices.
About 62,500 people in the province were on EI in December, up from the 31,200 who were receiving jobless benefits from the same month a year earlier.
Read: Sounding Board: The link between oil prices and rising disability claims
The province’s oil-reliant neighbour Saskatchewan saw a 38% increase in EI compared to December 2014.
Newfoundland and Labrador saw an 11% rise.
Alberta’s growing EI numbers in December accounted for about 90% of the 7.3% increase nationally, pushing the total number of EI recipients to 539,800 across Canada.
University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe says that while the EI numbers have climbed significantly in Alberta, they still only account for 2.5% of the labour force and are below the national average of about 2.8%.