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The NDP government is promising a new job creation strategy this fall, but its pledge of a tax credit for employers who hire new staff is drawing mixed reviews.

With the Alberta economy battered by low oil prices, unemployment has been on the rise for the last three months, increasing to six per cent in July.

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At a weekend NDP rally ahead of the Sept. 3 Calgary-Foothills byelection, Premier Rachel Notley noted the economic uncertainty in the province as she reiterated her commitment to a jobs plan to be released this autumn.

“People are worried about their jobs, they’re worried about the sustainability of the economy, they’re worried about what happens with the price of oil and it makes perfect sense that they would,” she said Sunday.

Notley said the debate this fall will include the job creation tax credit promised by the NDP in the spring election campaign.

The proposal, which the NDP said was modelled on a U.S. tax credit used by the Obama administration, would see the government refund 10 per cent of the salary of a new employee, to a maximum salary of $50,000. During the campaign, the NDP said the plan would cost $89 million and create 27,000 jobs.