The federal government released their May 2026 job numbers yesterday, and job numbers are up in Alberta.
The net increase to jobs between April and last month was 13,900.
Gender & age
Among workers 25 years of age and older, men saw the larger increase between April and May. There were 10,800 more men over 25 at work last month compared to April. Those numbers drop to a gain of 7,200 if you include those who are 15–24 years old.
Women, however, saw an increase of 3,900 in the number of those 25 years old and older finding new work compared to those working in April. When you add in the younger cohort, it jumps to a 6,700 gain.
Statistics Canada provided no data on non-binary or intersex workers.
Speaking of age, Alberta had the second fewest older people as a percentage of the total workforce last month, compared to the other provinces.
| 55+ | All ages | 55+ as % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NL | 57,000 | 243,200 | 23.44% |
| NB | 92,800 | 408,100 | 22.74% |
| PEI | 21,300 | 96,700 | 22.03% |
| NS | 114,800 | 528,500 | 21.72% |
| BC | 632,900 | 2,929,100 | 21.61% |
| ON | 1,740,000 | 8,289,700 | 20.99% |
| QC | 963,300 | 4,592,200 | 20.98% |
| SK | 124,300 | 613,800 | 20.25% |
| AB | 499,900 | 2,670,500 | 18.72% |
| MB | 135,000 | 749,600 | 18.01% |
Compared to other provinces
Here’s how Alberta’s job numbers compare to the other provinces:
| Apr 2026 | May 2026 | Change | % change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ON | 8,247,900 | 8,289,700 | 41,800 | 0.51% |
| BC | 2,903,900 | 2,929,100 | 25,200 | 0.87% |
| AB | 2,656,600 | 2,670,500 | 13,900 | 0.52% |
| QC | 4,579,000 | 4,592,200 | 13,200 | 0.29% |
| PEI | 95,500 | 96,700 | 1,200 | 1.26% |
| MB | 749,300 | 749,600 | 300 | 0.04% |
| NS | 528,700 | 528,500 | -200 | -0.04% |
| NB | 408,600 | 408,100 | -500 | -0.12% |
| NL | 244,400 | 243,200 | -1,200 | -0.49% |
| SK | 619,900 | 613,800 | -6,100 | -0.98% |
Alberta had the third largest increase in jobs among all the provinces who gained jobs, with 13,900 jobs gained, as I mentioned earlier. Only Ontario and British Columbia had larger gains, much larger gains: nearly 42,000 and over 25,000, respectively. Québec was in fourth place, close on Alberta heels, with a gain of just 700 fewer than Alberta’s.
Saskatchewan lost over 6,100 jobs, the largest loss in the country,
On a percentage basis, Alberta was still third place, behind Prince Edward Island and BC.
By industry
Only 9 job sectors in Alberta actually saw an increase in jobs in May. Of those, construction had the highest gains: 9,800.
Most of the remaining sectors reported by Statistics Canada saw job losses, with the “wholesale and retail trade” sector losing the most, at 8,500 jobs:
| Wholesale & retail trade | -8,500 |
| Manufacturing | -6,200 |
| Public administration | -3,300 |
| Other services (except public administration) | -2,300 |
| Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil & gas | -2,100 |
| Utilities | -1,100 |
Combined, these 6 industries lost 23,500 jobs.
The educational services sector was unchanged, with the same number of people employed last month as their were in April.
Compared to a year ago, the industry with the highest job gains was “health care and social assistance”, increasing by over 60,000 jobs, a jump of 18.7%.
The construction sector saw the largest decrease over the last year, losing 8,500 jobs, which was over 3% of its total workforce.
| May 2025 | May 2026 | Change | % change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care & social assistance | 326,800 | 387,900 | 61,100 | 18.70% |
| Public administration | 128,100 | 139,300 | 11,200 | 8.74% |
| Transportation & warehousing | 146,900 | 155,700 | 8,800 | 5.99% |
| Manufacturing | 145,900 | 153,400 | 7,500 | 5.14% |
| Accommodation & food services | 151,500 | 157,800 | 6,300 | 4.16% |
| Wholesale & retail trade | 362,500 | 367,900 | 5,400 | 1.49% |
| Business, building & other support services | 78,700 | 84,100 | 5,400 | 6.86% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate, rental & leasing | 140,200 | 144,600 | 4,400 | 3.14% |
| Information, culture & recreation | 95,300 | 99,400 | 4,100 | 4.30% |
| Utilities | 21,100 | 23,600 | 2,500 | 11.85% |
| Other services (except public administration) | 96,100 | 97,600 | 1,500 | 1.56% |
| Professional, scientific & technical services | 242,000 | 243,100 | 1,100 | 0.45% |
| Agriculture | 41,600 | 40,300 | -1,300 | -3.13% |
| Educational services | 174,700 | 172,400 | -2,300 | -1.32% |
| Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil & gas | 144,100 | 141,300 | -2,800 | -1.94% |
| Construction | 270,700 | 262,200 | -8,500 | -3.14% |
Private & public sector
The report from Statistics Canada also shows that Alberta’s private sector grew by 12,900 between April and May. There were 71,500 more private-sector jobs as there were this time last year, however.
In comparison, public sector jobs were up by 1,200 over April, yet Alberta had 22,900 more public sector workers compared to May 2025.
Self employed jobs were down by 100 over April but up by 10,100 over May 2025.
Part-time & full-time jobs
Part-time jobs shrunk last month. Alberta lost 11,800 part-time jobs (seasonally adjusted) between April and May.
In contrast, Alberta gained 25,700 full-time jobs during the same period.
Alberta has seen a net gain of 60,300 full-time jobs during the first 5 months of 2026, which works out to an average of 12,060 per month.
These full-time gains last month were mostly men workers (22,400), with only 3,300 more women working full-time. For part-time jobs, it was a gain for women (3,400) and a loss for men (15,200).
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 2,215,700. That means that there are 329,000 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 82.97%, so the percentage of Alberta workers being employed in full-time positions has also increased.
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, and May 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 decreased by over $1 an hour to $35.00 an hour last month, down from $36.06 in April. This is its lowest level since November 2025.
Part-time hourly wages also dropped by $1, declining from $20 an hour—where it was in March and April—to just $19 an hour, which is where it was in February.
The median hourly wage for both full-time and part-time jobs shrunk to $32.41, down 59¢ from $3.00 in April.
In April, Alberta was tied with British Columbia for having the highest median hourly wage of all the provinces. In March, Alberta had in second place behind British Columbia, where they had been since 2023, except in January, when they were briefly ahead and February when they were also tied. There was also a brief period last year when Alberta was in third place, behind not only BC but also Ontario.
Last month, however, they were back to second place, being 49¢ an hour behind BC.
Speaking of which, Alberta had the second highest median full-time hourly wage in May 2026, $1.00 behind BC and tied with Ontario.
| BC | $36.00 |
| ON | $35.00 |
| AB | $35.00 |
| QC | $33.67 |
| SK | $31.97 |
| NL | $30.91 |
| NS | $30.00 |
| NB | $29.00 |
| MB | $29.00 |
| PEI | $28.00 |
Alberta had the third smallest increase in median hourly wages for full-time workers over the past 12 months.
| May 2025 | May 2026 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SK | $30.64 | $31.97 | $1.33 |
| NS | $28.85 | $30.00 | $1.15 |
| BC | $35.00 | $36.00 | $1.00 |
| ON | $34.00 | $35.00 | $1.00 |
| NB | $28.00 | $29.00 | $1.00 |
| QC | $32.69 | $33.67 | $0.98 |
| NL | $30.00 | $30.91 | $0.91 |
| AB | $34.09 | $35.00 | $0.91 |
| MB | $28.61 | $29.00 | $0.39 |
| PEI | $27.95 | $28.00 | $0.05 |
For part-time workers, Alberta had the fourth-highest median hourly wage last month, down from third-highest in April, and tied with PEI.
| BC | $22.00 |
| QC | $20.00 |
| ON | $20.00 |
| MB | $19.50 |
| PEI | $19.00 |
| AB | $19.00 |
| SK | $18.67 |
| NS | $18.46 |
| NL | $18.00 |
| NB | $18.00 |
Alberta was the only province where the median part-time worker was making less last month compared to a year ago.
| May 2025 | May 2026 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MB | $18.00 | $19.50 | $1.50 |
| ON | $19.00 | $20.00 | $1.00 |
| PEI | $18.00 | $19.00 | $1.00 |
| SK | $18.00 | $18.67 | $0.67 |
| NL | $17.50 | $18.00 | $0.50 |
| NS | $18.00 | $18.46 | $0.46 |
| BC | $22.00 | $22.00 | $0.00 |
| QC | $20.00 | $20.00 | $0.00 |
| NB | $18.00 | $18.00 | $0.00 |
| AB | $19.65 | $19.00 | -$0.65 |
By industry, Alberta wages increased in 7 of the 16 reported sectors since April. They remained unchanged in 2 and decreased in the other 7.
| Apr 2026 | May 2026 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utilities | $50.00 | $60.00 | $10.00 |
| Health care and social assistance | $30.00 | $31.09 | $1.09 |
| Public administration | $49.74 | $50.51 | $0.77 |
| Transportation and warehousing | $32.10 | $32.50 | $0.40 |
| Educational services | $40.00 | $40.38 | $0.38 |
| Finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing | $37.00 | $37.11 | $0.11 |
| Wholesale and retail trade | $22.00 | $22.05 | $0.05 |
| Information, culture and recreation | $25.00 | $25.00 | $0.00 |
| Other services (except public administration) | $26.00 | $26.00 | $0.00 |
| Accommodation and food services | $18.00 | $17.50 | -$0.50 |
| Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas | $52.00 | $51.28 | -$0.72 |
| Construction | $36.00 | $35.00 | -$1.00 |
| Business, building and other support services | $25.00 | $24.00 | -$1.00 |
| Manufacturing | $38.46 | $37.00 | -$1.46 |
| Agriculture | $27.00 | $25.00 | -$2.00 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | $42.79 | $40.00 | -$2.79 |
Unemployment rate
Alberta saw its unemployment rate drop from 7.0% in April to 6.6% in May, still above 6.5%, where it was in March. In May 2025, it was 7.4%.
Alberta’s labour force increased last month, by 1,800. With having 13,900 more people actually working and but only 1,800 more available to work than in April, it makes sense that our unemployment rate decreased.
As far as how it compares with the rest of the country, Alberta’s unemployment rate was the fourth lowest, ahead of Manitoba (5.5%), Québec (5.6%), and Saskatchewan (6.2%).
Of the 5 provinces that saw their unemployment rates decrease last month, Alberta was tied with Newfoundland and Labrador for the smallest decrease.
Canada saw an increase in employment last month, with jobs across the country rising by 87,800. Those losses were driven primarily by Ontario (41,800,300) and BC (25,200). Québec and Alberta also played significant roles, with each contributing over 13,000 jobs.
The national unemployment rate grew to 6.6% from 6.9% in April.
Alberta’s youth (15–24) unemployment rate was the 5th highest in the country, down from 3rd highest in April. It was also higher than the national average of 13.4%%.
| NL | 18.7 |
| ON | 15.3 |
| BC | 15.3 |
| NB | 15.2 |
| AB | 15.0 |
| NS | 13.7 |
| SK | 13.2 |
| PEI | 13.0 |
| MB | 11.4 |
| QC | 8.1 |
Alberta had the smallest increase in its youth unemployment rate since April; although 3 provinces had decreases.
| NL | 17.2 | 18.7 | 1.5 |
| SK | 12.0 | 13.2 | 1.2 |
| NB | 14.1 | 15.2 | 1.1 |
| MB | 10.3 | 11.4 | 1.1 |
| BC | 14.4 | 15.3 | 0.9 |
| PEI | 12.2 | 13.0 | 0.8 |
| AB | 14.7 | 15.0 | 0.3 |
| NS | 14.2 | 13.7 | -0.5 |
| QC | 9.0 | 8.1 | -0.9 |
| ON | 17.7 | 15.3 | -2.4 |
However, a year ago, we had the highest youth unemployment rate in the country, so we are still in better shape than we were last May.
| May 2025 | May 2026 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SK | 7.6 | 13.2 | 5.6 |
| NL | 15.7 | 18.7 | 3.0 |
| NS | 12.0 | 13.7 | 1.7 |
| NB | 14.2 | 15.2 | 1.0 |
| PEI | 12.0 | 13.0 | 1.0 |
| ON | 15.4 | 15.3 | -0.1 |
| MB | 12.0 | 11.4 | -0.6 |
| BC | 16.6 | 15.3 | -1.3 |
| AB | 17.0 | 15.0 | -2.0 |
| QC | 10.1 | 8.1 | -2.0 |
