Alberta’s job market ended 2024 on a positive note, adding 35,200 jobs in December, according to Statistics Canada. The province created 35,900 new full-time positions, while part-time work declined by 800, keeping the net growth at 35,200 jobs across the province. The additional jobs have helped the provincial unemployment rate drop significantly from 7.5% in November to 6.7% in December. Calgary and Edmonton led the province’s job growth, adding 16,400 and 10,600 jobs, respectively. These gains brought Calgary’s unemployment rate down to 7.8% and Edmonton’s to 7.4%.

Several industries drove Alberta’s employment gains, including educational services (+17,000; +1.1%), transportation and warehousing (+17,000; +1.6%), finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (+16,000; +1.1%), and health care and social assistance (+16,000; +0.5%).

Nationally, Canada saw significant employment growth in December, adding 91,000 jobs and reducing the national unemployment rate to 6.7%. As per Statistics Canada, employment rose in Alberta (+35,000; +1.4%), Ontario (+23,000; +0.3%), British Columbia (+14,000; +0.5%), Nova Scotia (+7,400; +1.4%), and Saskatchewan (+4,000; +0.7%), while there was a decline in Manitoba (-7,200; -1.0%).

The full Labour Force Survey can be found on Statistics Canada.