Project: Unemployment in Calgary
Background
Unemployment is a hot topic in economics and politics. Politicians debate about policies that
could stimulate job creation and reduce unemployment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U3-bxNIjFA. Political parties get elected or lose elections
largely because of their proposals, plans and actions to create jobs and reduce unemployment.
Economists help political parties and governments to design and implement macroeconomic
policies tailored towards job creation and tackling the problem of unemployment.
Students in macroeconomic classes study unemployment as one of the topics that are
necessary to analyse, understand and design and propose find solutions for. In this exercise,
students are required to understand unemployment in its full context and address the following
questions in an assay style of writing.
Please click the link below, read the short news article, and address the following questions.
Please feel free to look for additional sources, readings and information as you deem necessary
to understand the issue of unemployment in Calgary.
http://globalnews.ca/news/3301156/calgarys-unemployment-rate-continues-downward-slidestill-
highest-in-canada/
Please also watch this video broadcasted in March 2016.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/video/video-another-canadian-jobsshock-
as-alberta-leads-employment-growth/article29568172/
1. Use the link above and Statistics Canada website to collect data about unemployment in
Calgary for the period from September 2016 to March 2017.
2. Organize the data in an excel spreadsheet and present it in a table, chart and include
data trends and analysis.
3. Analyze the data and explain the main source of employment in the city (i.e. oil, health,
services and other industries).
4. When unemployment rises and declines in Calgary, please explain the reasons behind
the rise and decline of unemployment.
5. What kind of macroeconomic policies would your group suggest to address
unemployment in Calgary?
Here is the Macroeconomic Project. Please note the followings:
1. As per the voting in class, the topic is on unemployment. I have chosen the City of Calgary, Alberta for this project.
2. The project is made of two parts. First part is the written report that should not be more than 5 pages long. The second part is the PowerPoint presentation that
each group will deliver in class.
