Calgary's unemployment rate was steady at 9.3 per cent in April and remained the highest of nearly three dozen major cities surveyed by Statistics Canada.

The latest data shows Alberta's largest city continuing to struggle, with the proportion of out-of-work residents a full percentage point ahead of the next highest city on the list — St.John's, Nfld.

Edmonton's unemployment rate was third-highest on the list of 33 cities at 8.1 per cent, followed by Saskatoon at 7.8 per cent and Toronto at 6.9 per cent.

Across Alberta as a whole, the unemployment rate dipped to 7.9 per cent, down half a percentage point from March.

But Statistics Canada said that was largely due to fewer people searching for work.

Employment in Alberta held steady from month to month.

It was a similar story nationally, as employment across Canada was virtually flat but the jobless rate ticked down 0.2 percentage points to 6.5 per cent.

That's the lowest level since October 2008.

The national and provincial data is calculated on a monthly basis while the city-specific data is based on a three-month rolling average.