The Financial Post reports in its Wednesday, Nov. 23, edition that Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors president Mark Scholz says a boost in drilling activity in the U.S., aided by the rollback of President Barack Obama's environmental regulations under president-elect Donald Trump, could cause American oil and gas production to increase sharply. The Post's Geoffrey Morgan writes that as a result, Mr. Scholz says, "It would temper growth prospects in Canada." He says, "Activity [in Canada] is moving in the right direction, but we're still in a depressed and desperate economic environment." Alberta's unemployment rate has increased steadily since the oil price collapse began in 2014, from 4.6 per cent in July, 2014, to 8.5 per cent in October. In recent months drilling companies have begun hiring back laid-off personnel. Precision Drilling announced during its third quarter earnings call that it had rehired 1,000 people between Canada and the U.S. as a result of an increase in oil field activity. Other oil field service companies, such as Essential Energy Services and Trican Well Service rehired some workers in Alberta in the third quarter as oil field activity began to recover.