Recent survey shows decrease in Alberta employment – DiscoverAirdrie.com

Statistics Canada’s most recent labour force survey saw Alberta’s employment decrease last month. According to the survey, employment across the whole province decreased by about 20,000 in May.

“This was the first significant decline in employment since September 2023,” stated Statistics Canada.

The Calgary metropolitan region (which includes Airdrie and other surrounding communities according to Statistics Canada) employed 942,600 people in May, which is up from April’s number of 935,300. From May 2023 to May 2024, the Calgary metro area saw an increase of 40,600 employed locals, which was a 4.5 per cent change.

While this looks like a good sign, the unemployment number also jumped, growing to 83,500 compared to 77,900 in April. The unemployment rate also saw an increase of 0.4 per cent, going from 7.7 per cent in April to 8.1 per cent in May.

Calgary’s metro area unemployment rate is the second-highest in Canada only behind Windsor Ontario which is 8.5 per cent. With that being said, the metro area also has the highest labour-force participation rate of all the other metro areas, with 72.8 per cent.

While the unemployment rate increased slightly to 6.2 per cent nationwide, employment levels were almost unchanged.

Also according to Statistics Canada, the Calgary metro area is the fastest-growing region in Alberta. Airdrie, Cochrane, Chestermere, Langdon, Crossfield, Irricana and Rocky View County are just some of the communities apart of Calgary’s metropolitan area.

Map of the Calgary metro area provided by Statistics Canada.

The population of Airdrie as of April 1, 2023, was 80,649 and reflected an increase of 14.29 per cent over the last census in 2019. City estimates show that in 2024, there may be more growth, with Airdrie adding over 3,000 more residents, signalling an approximate 4 per cent growth. 

As of January 1, 2024, Alberta’s population was 4,800,768 according to the provincial government.

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