An analysis of Alberta’s labour market highlights how political leadership shaped (and hurt) its economic environment
An analysis of Alberta’s labour market over the last 12 years offers revealing insights into how political governance and policies have shaped its economic landscape.
This period, marked by transitions through three distinct political eras, showcases Alberta’s resilience and challenges in the face of external pressures and internal policy shifts.
My study titled Twelve Years of Labour in Alberta: A Tale of Three Political Eras begins under the Progressive Conservative leadership of Alison Redford, extending to Jim Prentice’s tenure, which concluded in May 2015. This era coincided with the Harper Conservatives’ federal governance. Despite global economic challenges, including a sharp decline in oil prices and the devastating High River floods, Alberta witnessed a 25 percent surge in employee compensation, significantly outpacing the national growth rate of 15.7 percent.
KEEP AN EYE ON ALBERTA
Moreover, Alberta exceeded national growth rates in the working-age population (8.3 percent vs. 3.7 percent) and employment (6.7 percent vs. 3.5 percent). However, this period also experienced a significant 49 percent rise in male unemployment, a trend that has persisted through later governments. This persistent issue suggests the lasting effects of volatility in the oil industry and the pressures of regulatory changes on the labour market.
Alberta’s economy then faced setbacks with the rise of Rachel Notley’s NDP government in 2015, closely followed by........