“Alberta’s economy is continuing to build momentum, diversify and gain strength.
“Our unemployment rate has dropped to 6.5 per cent, lower than when this government took office, despite the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 energy price crash. We continue to see job gains, with 15,700 new full-time jobs added in March, and again, Alberta leads the country with our 64.7 per cent employment rate.
“We are seeing more major investors from across multiple sectors choose to do business in Alberta. Three weeks ago, Walmart Canada announced an investment of more than $118 million that will create about 325 jobs in the high-tech logistics space. Just last week, De Havilland announced 500 jobs in Calgary for aerospace manufacturing. Our work to cut red tape, lower the corporate tax rate and promote a business-friendly environment is paying off.
“Consumer and investor confidence in Alberta is growing. The Conference Board of Canada reported that consumer confidence in the province grew by 9.8 points in March.
“As our economy continues to grow, the demand for skilled workers will increase. We are working to address labour demands in key sectors as well as other challenges, including youth unemployment, barriers to entry for under-represented groups and long-term unemployment through Alberta at Work, a program to help Albertans build the skills to support themselves and their families.
“Our economy is turning a corner. After two extremely challenging years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Alberta is returning to a more normal way of life. With the lifting of public health measures in the province in early March, more Albertans are returning to the workplace, getting back to work and back to business.
“Alberta is positioned for growth in the short and long term. I am confident that our work to diversify and strengthen our economy today will continue to create more jobs for Albertans.”