Once again, the province of Alberta is boasting record immigration levels for the start of 2011, from both within and outside of the country.
A “hot” job market is attracting workers to the province from Ontario, British Columbia and Newfoundland. Alberta is currently tied with Saskatchewan for lowest unemployment rate in the country and job levels are predicted to increase by another 114,000 positions over the next decade. The average weekly wage is also the highest in Canada.
The growth in Alberta is not a new trend, as it has been the fastest growing province in the country since 2006. It’s two largest cities, Calgary and Edmonton, are growing faster than any others in the country.
However, the news is not good for all of Canada’s provinces. The disparity is being felt harshly in the Maritime provinces such as Nova Scotia, where 31,000 people received unemployment benefits in March. Statistics show that if all unemployed Nova Scotians packed up and moved to Alberta, the Western province would still have another 30,000 positions to fill.
Many older Canadians, however, seem reluctant to pack up and move across the country for work, which means that Alberta will have to look increasingly abroad to fill its positions.
Source: Globe and Mail