Like many Albertans, finding a steady job can be a strenuous ordeal for anyone with the current economic situation but... it may not be as bad as everybody thinks when it comes to Foothills employment.

Statistics Canada released unemployment numbers for June last week and the numbers showed that the nation lost 6400 jobs last month, although it was projected at over 10 thousand job would be gone due to the recent economic uncertainty surrounding many job fields.

Regional Manager of McBride Career Group Amber Chapman says there's plenty of work to be found right at home.

"We're still seeing a strong need for skilled trades such as carpentry and plumbing," she says. "As young families relocate to Okotoks there's always a continued demand for childcare workers, retail and food service, businesses that are continuing right now to fill positions such as merchandising associates to chefs."

She says at this particular time of the year though, some qualified applicants may need to be patient when applying for a new career.

"Summer always brings a different scenario, as hiring always slows down,"she says. "We always see fewer positions advertised, despite that as new residential areas spring up, so do other opportunities."

 Chapman says despite the unknown future of the Alberta economy, there is one thing she does know... Okotoks is continuing to grow and where there's growth, there's opportunity.

"Okotoks will continue to grow," she says. "As it grows, there's always employment opportunities, if you have a resume, you're feeling like you don't know where to go, come to McBride, we certainly can help steer you in a direction that perhaps there are some industries that are doing better than others."

Statistics Canada says the economy lost a total of 6,400 jobs last month fewer than the 10,000 lost jobs that many economists had expected. The number of full-time jobs increased by 64,800 during the month, while 71,200 part-time jobs were lost.

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