albertaJOBcast

• Calgary: Lowest unemployment rate of all census metropolitan areas
  Fuelled by Alberta’s wealth in natural resources, Calgary had the nation’s third fastest employment growth, preceded by 0nly Barrie and Kelowna. Calgary’s employed population reached 632,000 in 2006, an increase of 91,600, as many workers from other parts of Canada headed west to earn a living. Even so, Calgary’s rate of growth of 17.0% was still slower than the 22.3% pace it experienced from 1996 to 2001. In 2006, nearly 72.5% of Calgary’s working-age population was employed, up from 71.5% in 2001, the highest of all census metropolitan areas (CMAs). Its unemployment rate fell from 4.9% to 4.0%, the lowest of all metropolitan areas.
• Baby boomers edging closer to retirement
  Census data showed that the aging of Canada’s labour force continued between 2001 and 2006. In 2006, workers aged 55 and older accounted for 15.3% of the total labour force, up from 11.7% five years earlier. This was the result of the baby boom generation approaching retirement age, and the increased tendency for older workers to participate in the labour force. As a result, the median age of the labour force surpassed the 40-year mark for the first time; it rose from 39.5 years in 2001 to 41.2 years in 2006. The median is the point where half are above and half below. According to the census, just over 2 million individuals aged 55 to 64 were employed in 2006, 43.0% more than in 2001. At the same time, the overall labour force participation rate for this group increased from 54.0% to 59.7%.
• Oil and gas workers: Small group with fastest growth in employment
  The shift in industrial demand for workers to different parts of the economy had an impact on the occupational make-up of the nation. The oil and gas industry is still relatively small, but its rapid expansion in recent years has meant huge gains for a number of occupations. The number of oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers and related workers almost doubled to 11,500, making it the fastest growing occupation between 2001 and 2006. The number of supervisors in oil and gas drilling and services rose 47.2% to about 9,400.
• Westernmost provinces leading the way in employment growth
  Census data showed employment reached an estimated 16,021,200 in 2006, up 1,326,000 from 2001. Just two western provinces-Alberta and British Columbia-accounted for a third of this increase. During the same five-year period, the unemployment rate fell in every province and territory, except Ontario and the Northwest Territories. Over the five years, the 1.7% annual average national employment growth rate was surpassed only in Alberta (2.9%) and British Columbia (2.1%) and the three territories. Alberta added 251,100 workers between 2001 and 2006, while British Columbia added 208,800. Growth in both provinces was spurred largely by gains in the construction industry and professional, scientific and technical services. In addition, Alberta got a big boost from mining, oil and gas extraction.
   

Dean