The federal government released their September 2026 job numbers last week, and job numbers are up in Alberta.
The net decrease to jobs between August and last month was 23,100. Keep in mind that in July and August, Alberta lost lost 16,200 jobs, so this us more like a gain of 6,900.
Gender & age
Among workers 25 years of age and older, women saw the larger increase between August and September. There were 12,400 more women over 25 at work last month compared to August. Those numbers increase to a gain of 18,300 if you include those who are 15–24 years old.
Men, however, saw an increase of 1,400 in the number of those 25 years old and older finding new work compared to those working in August. When you add in the younger cohort, it improves to a 4,700 gain.
Statistics Canada provided no data on non-binary or intersex workers.
Speaking of age, of all the provinces in Canada, Alberta had the second fewest older people as a percentage of the total workforce last month.
| Total | 55+ | 55+ as % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NB | 407,900 | 92,900 | 22.78% |
| NL | 246,800 | 55,600 | 22.53% |
| NS | 540,700 | 118,300 | 21.88% |
| PEI | 96,600 | 20,600 | 21.33% |
| ON | 8,286,500 | 1,742,300 | 21.03% |
| QC | 4,539,300 | 953,300 | 21.00% |
| BC | 2,929,000 | 609,400 | 20.81% |
| SK | 622,100 | 118,600 | 19.06% |
| AB | 2,684,200 | 498,600 | 18.58% |
| MB | 751,700 | 139,600 | 18.57% |
Compared to other provinces
Here’s how Alberta’s job numbers compare to the other provinces:
| Aug 2026 | Sep 2026 | Change | % change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | 2,661,100 | 2,684,200 | 23,100 | 0.87% |
| NL | 245,000 | 246,800 | 1,800 | 0.73% |
| PEI | 95,600 | 96,600 | 1,000 | 1.05% |
| SK | 621,800 | 622,100 | 300 | 0.05% |
| NS | 540,500 | 540,700 | 200 | 0.04% |
| NB | 408,600 | 407,900 | -700 | -0.17% |
| MB | 756,100 | 751,700 | -4,400 | -0.58% |
| ON | 8,306,500 | 8,286,500 | -20,000 | -0.24% |
| BC | 2,949,200 | 2,929,000 | -20,200 | -0.68% |
| QC | 4,588,700 | 4,539,300 | -49,400 | -1.08% |
Alberta was 1 of 5 provinces that saw job numbers rise, and of those 5, Alberta had the largest increase in terms of absolute numbers. As a percentage of total jobs, Alberta had the second largest increase.
In August, Alberta had the third largest decrease in jobs.
Québec had the largest decrease in the country, losing nearly 50,000 jobs.
By industry
10 job sectors in Alberta saw an increase in jobs in September. Of those,“professional, scientific and technical services” had the highest gains: 16,400.
Most of the remaining sectors reported by Statistics Canada saw job losses, with the “health care and social assistance” sector losing the most, at 10,600 jobs:
| Health care and social assistance | -10,600 |
| Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas | -5,100 |
| Public administration | -5,000 |
| Agriculture | -1,900 |
| Construction | -1,800 |
| Manufacturing | -1,100 |
Combined, these 8 industries lost over 25,000 jobs.
Compared to a year ago, the industry with the highest job gains was “health care and social assistance”, increasing by 34,200 jobs, a jump of 9.85%, which is interesting, given that this sector lost over 10,000 jobs last month.
The “educational services” sector saw the largest decrease over the last year, losing nearly 17,000 jobs, which was roughly 9% of its total workforce.
| Sep 2025 | Sep 2026 | Change | % change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care & social assistance | 347,300 | 381,500 | 34,200 | 9.85% |
| Wholesale & retail trade | 353,800 | 387,800 | 34,000 | 9.61% |
| Construction | 255,700 | 273,300 | 17,600 | 6.88% |
| Information, culture & recreation | 85,200 | 96,800 | 11,600 | 13.62% |
| Business, building & other support services | 84,900 | 95,900 | 11,000 | 12.96% |
| Transportation & warehousing | 148,900 | 156,900 | 8,000 | 5.37% |
| Professional, scientific & technical services | 249,500 | 255,300 | 5,800 | 2.32% |
| Manufacturing | 147,400 | 152,800 | 5,400 | 3.66% |
| Other services (except public administration) | 98,900 | 103,000 | 4,100 | 4.15% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate, rental & leasing | 146,800 | 150,200 | 3,400 | 2.32% |
| Agriculture | 40,800 | 36,900 | -3,900 | -9.56% |
| Utilities | 24,900 | 19,200 | -5,700 | -22.89% |
| Public administration | 140,200 | 131,400 | -8,800 | -6.28% |
| Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil & gas | 143,600 | 133,800 | -9,800 | -6.82% |
| Accommodation & food services | 153,700 | 139,400 | -14,300 | -9.30% |
| Educational services | 186,900 | 170,000 | -16,900 | -9.04% |
Private & public sector
The report from Statistics Canada also shows that Alberta’s private sector shrunk by 4,500 between August and September, which is more than half of the 8,700 gained in August. There were 67,500 more private-sector jobs as there were this time last year, however.
In comparison, public sector jobs were up by 1,200 over August, and Alberta had 13,400 fewer public sector workers compared to September 2025.
Self employed jobs were up by 26,400 over August but up by 21,600 over September 2025. That is an unusually large month-over-month increase for self-employed jobs.
Part-time & full-time jobs
Part-time jobs shrunk last month. Alberta lost 2,700 part-time jobs (seasonally adjusted) between August and September.
In comparison, Alberta gained 25,800 full-time jobs during the same period. Keep in mind that between May and August Alberta lost 18,700 full-time jobs, so this is really only an increase of 7,100.
Alberta has seen a net gain of 67,400 full-time jobs in 2026, which works out to an average of 7,489 per month.
These full-time gaines last month were mostly women workers (20,700), with just 5,100 more men working full-time. For part-time jobs, it was a loss for both men (300) and women (2,400).
In June 2019, the month before the Job Creation Tax Cut came into effect, there were 1,886,700 people working full-time. Last month, there were 2,222,800. That means that there are 336,100 more full-time jobs than there were before the UCP cut the tax on corporate profits.
While more full-time jobs does seem like a good thing, let’s take a look at how much of a percentage of total jobs are full-time jobs. In June 2019, full-time jobs made up 82.50% of all jobs in the province.
Last month, they were at 82.81%, so the percentage of Alberta workers being employed in full-time positions has also increased; although it is down from 82.97% in March, 82.84% in May, and 82.59% in June and July.
There were only a handful of times during 2023 when this number passed 82.5%, but it was always only marginally and came right back down the following month. And only once in 2024 (July) did it pass the mark. June and August were the only months in 2025 that it rose above 82.5%. So far, January, March, May, June, July, August, and September have been the only months in 2026 where it passed that mark.
Wages
Speaking of full-time jobs, median wages for full-time workers in Alberta increased by 50¢ an hour to $34.50 an hour last month, up from $34.00 in August but still down from $34.60 in July, $34.62 in June, $35.00 in May, and $36.06 in April.
Part-time hourly wages, however, dropped to $19.21 an hour. down from $20 an hour—where they were in March, April, June, July, and August.
The median hourly wage for both full-time and part-time jobs increased to $32.00, up 57¢ from $31.43 in August.
Alberta had the third highest median hourly wage of all the provinces, behind BC and Ontario. Alberta has been behind BC since 2023, except this past January, when they were briefly ahead and February and April when they were tied. There was also a brief period last year when Alberta was in third place, behind not only BC but also Ontario, as was the case last month.
In July, Alberta workers were 79¢ an hour behind those in BC. In August, however, that gap increased to $1.79 behind and widended even more last month to $2.00. BC’s median hourly wage for both full-time and part-time wages was $34.00.
Speaking of which, Alberta had the fourth highest median full-time hourly wage in August 2026, $1.58 behind BC.
| BC | $37.00 |
| ON | $35.00 |
| QC | $34.62 |
| AB | $34.50 |
| SK | $31.80 |
| NL | $30.97 |
| NS | $30.40 |
| NB | $30.00 |
| MB | $29.00 |
| PEI | $29.00 |
Ever since Alberta dropped out of first place in 2023, they have never placed lower than third place, so the fact that they ended up in fourth place last month is concerning.
Alberta was one of 3 provinces to see a decrease in median hourly wages for full-time workers over the past 12 months, and of those it had the largest decrease.
| Sep 2025 | Sep 2026 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BC | $35.55 | $37.00 | $1.45 |
| QC | $33.22 | $34.62 | $1.40 |
| NB | $28.95 | $30.00 | $1.05 |
| NS | $30.00 | $30.40 | $0.40 |
| SK | $31.50 | $31.80 | $0.30 |
| MB | $28.85 | $29.00 | $0.15 |
| ON | $35.00 | $35.00 | $0.00 |
| NL | $31.00 | $30.97 | -$0.03 |
| PEI | $29.33 | $29.00 | -$0.33 |
| AB | $35.34 | $34.50 | -$0.84 |
For part-time workers, Alberta had the fourth-lowest median hourly wage last month, down from second-highest in August.
| BC | $22.00 |
| QC | $21.00 |
| PEI | $20.00 |
| ON | $20.00 |
| MB | $20.00 |
| SK | $19.23 |
| AB | $19.21 |
| NL | $19.05 |
| NS | $18.76 |
| NB | $18.75 |
Of the provinces who saw increases in part-time median hourly wages over the last year, Alberta had the smallest increase.
| Sep 2025 | Sep 2025 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEI | $17.50 | $20.00 | $2.50 |
| MB | $17.50 | $20.00 | $2.50 |
| NL | $18.00 | $19.05 | $1.05 |
| QC | $20.00 | $21.00 | $1.00 |
| NB | $18.00 | $18.75 | $0.75 |
| SK | $18.75 | $19.23 | $0.48 |
| NS | $18.50 | $18.76 | $0.26 |
| AB | $19.00 | $19.21 | $0.21 |
| ON | $20.00 | $20.00 | $0.00 |
| BC | $23.00 | $22.00 | -$1.00 |
By industry, Alberta wages increased in just 7 of the 16 reported sectors since July. They decreased or remained unchanged in the other 9.
| Aug 2026 | Sep 2026 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil & gas | $48.00 | $57.45 | $9.45 |
| Information, culture & recreation | $22.00 | $29.00 | $7.00 |
| Professional, scientific & technical services | $39.76 | $42.00 | $2.24 |
| Finance, insurance, real estate, rental & leasing | $38.46 | $40.00 | $1.54 |
| Educational services | $39.56 | $40.54 | $0.98 |
| Public administration | $48.81 | $49.44 | $0.63 |
| Construction | $34.75 | $35.00 | $0.25 |
| Wholesale & retail trade | $22.00 | $22.00 | $0.00 |
| Health care & social assistance | $31.00 | $31.00 | $0.00 |
| Accommodation & food services | $17.00 | $17.00 | $0.00 |
| Business, building & other support services | $22.00 | $21.93 | -$0.07 |
| Transportation & warehousing | $33.65 | $33.00 | -$0.65 |
| Agriculture | $26.00 | $25.00 | -$1.00 |
| Utilities | $55.00 | $53.85 | -$1.15 |
| Other services (except public administration) | $26.15 | $25.00 | -$1.15 |
| Manufacturing | $35.00 | $32.00 | -$3.00 |
Over the last year, things seem a bit better, with wages increasing in 8 sectors instead of 7.
| Sep 2025 | Sep 2026 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil & gas | $52.00 | $57.45 | $5.45 |
| Information, culture & recreation | $23.75 | $29.00 | $5.25 |
| Public administration | $45.12 | $49.44 | $4.32 |
| Health care & social assistance | $28.60 | $31.00 | $2.40 |
| Educational services | $38.46 | $40.54 | $2.08 |
| Manufacturing | $30.20 | $32.00 | $1.80 |
| Finance, insurance, real estate, rental & leasing | $39.18 | $40.00 | $0.82 |
| Professional, scientific & technical services | $41.83 | $42.00 | $0.17 |
| Accommodation & food services | $17.00 | $17.00 | $0.00 |
| Transportation & warehousing | $33.00 | $33.00 | $0.00 |
| Business, building & other support services | $23.00 | $21.93 | -$1.07 |
| Wholesale & retail trade | $23.08 | $22.00 | -$1.08 |
| Utilities | $55.00 | $53.85 | -$1.15 |
| Construction | $36.50 | $35.00 | -$1.50 |
| Other services (except public administration) | $28.60 | $25.00 | -$3.60 |
| Agriculture | $30.00 | $25.00 | -$5.00 |
Unemployment rate
Alberta saw its unemployment rate drop slightly from 6.8% in August to 6.4% last month. In September 2025, it was 7.7%.
Alberta’s labour force increased last month, by 12,900. With having 23,100 more people actually working but only 12,900 more available to work than in August, it makes sense that our unemployment rate improved slightly.
As far as how it compares with the rest of the country, Alberta had the country’s 5th highest unemployment rate, tied with BC. They were behind Newfoundland and Labrador (9.1%), New Brunswick (7.4%), PEI (87.3%), and Ontario (7.0%).
Canada saw a decrease in employment last month, with jobs across the country dropping by 68,300, adding to the 41,700 lost in August. Last month’s losses were driven primarily by Québec (49,400), BC (20,200), and Ontario (20,000).
The national unemployment rate increased slightly, from 6.4% in August to 6.5% in September.
Alberta’s youth (15–24) unemployment rate was the 6th highest in the country, down up from highest in August. It was higher than the national average of 13.0%.
| NL | 16.8 |
| ON | 15.2 |
| NB | 15.1 |
| PEI | 13.0 |
| BC | 12.9 |
| AB | 12.5 |
| MB | 12.1 |
| SK | 11.4 |
| NS | 10.8 |
| QC | 9.9 |
Unsurprisingly, Alberta had the largest decrease in its youth unemployment rate between August and September.
| Aug 2026 | Sep 2026 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AB | 15.3 | 12.5 | -2.8 |
| SK | 13.7 | 11.4 | -2.3 |
| PEI | 13.9 | 13.0 | -0.9 |
| BC | 13.2 | 12.9 | -0.3 |
| MB | 11.5 | 12.1 | 0.6 |
| NS | 10.1 | 10.8 | 0.7 |
| ON | 14.4 | 15.2 | 0.8 |
| QC | 9.0 | 9.9 | 0.9 |
| NB | 14.1 | 15.1 | 1.0 |
| NL | 15.1 | 16.8 | 1.7 |
However, when we look at performance over the last year, Alberta dropped to third place, tied with Saskatchewan.
| ON | 17.6 | 15.2 | -2.4 |
| PEI | 15.2 | 13.0 | -2.2 |
| SK | 13.5 | 11.4 | -2.1 |
| AB | 14.6 | 12.5 | -2.1 |
| NS | 12.7 | 10.8 | -1.9 |
| NB | 16.7 | 15.1 | -1.6 |
| BC | 13.9 | 12.9 | -1.0 |
| MB | 12.8 | 12.1 | -0.7 |
| NL | 17.1 | 16.8 | -0.3 |
| QC | 9.7 | 9.9 | 0.2 |
