Overview
The outlooks use factors such as economic growth, technologies adoption, demographics and education to forecast future supply and demand of workers in Alberta. The outlooks do not consider or reflect policy changes.
These outlooks are a useful tool for:
- Alberta government and other levels of government
- industry associations
- employers
- post-secondary institutions
- Albertans looking to make training and career decisions
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Alberta’s occupational outlook
Every 2 years, Alberta's occupational outlook is released to predict job shortages and surpluses over the next 10 years.
Alberta’s labour market has a mixed outlook by 2033 with potential shortages in specific occupations, countered by surpluses in others, the following occupations are some that may have a forecasted labour shortage of more than 4,000 workers:
- registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
- nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
- computer systems developers and programmers
- information systems specialists
- licensed practical nurses
- paramedical occupations
- electricians (except industrial and power system)
- material handlers
- professional occupations in business management consulting
- software developers and programmers
Alberta’s occupational outlook: supplemental reports
- Alberta’s occupational outlook: educational attainment forecasts the number of graduates across 8 major fields of study for different levels of schooling in Alberta.
- Alberta’s occupational outlook: Indigenous, visible minorities and people with disabilities projects population for the 3 sub-groups of Albertans by age and gender.
- Alberta’s occupational outlook: regional highlights provides high level summary of job demand and shortages in Alberta's economic regions for a 10-year period.
- The Calgary and Edmonton economic regions will continue to account for most of Alberta’s employment (75%) over the next decade and contribute to more than 80% of the total employment growth in Alberta.
- While the 2023-2033 labour market outlook is expected to vary across the economic regions in Alberta, health occupations, trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations and natural and applied sciences and related occupations are forecasted to be at higher risk of labour shortages across most economic regions.
- Regional employment 2023-2033:
Short-term employment forecast
The Short-Term Employment Forecast (STEF) outlines projected labour market imbalances over the next 3 years.
This forecast examines 515 occupations and ranks their labour market prospects into these categories:
- notable shortage
- mild shortage
- relatively balanced
- mild surplus
- notable surplus
STEF helps bridge the gap between what is happening now in Alberta’s economy and the government’s 10-year, long-term labour forecast, the Alberta’s occupational outlook 2023-33.