Alberta's unemployment rate rose to 7.3% in October 2026, up from 6.4% the previous month, according to Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey. The province lost 24,000 jobs last month, following a gain of 23,000 in September. Despite the increase, the unemployment rate remains 0.6 points higher than the national average of 6.7%.
Charles St-Arnauld, chief economist for Servus Credit Union, noted that Alberta's economy is still performing better than the rest of Canada. He attributed this to higher population growth and less impact from U.S. tariffs, as well as confidence from higher oil prices. The rest of Canada, he said, is struggling due to tariffs and higher energy costs.
In Calgary, the unemployment rate increased slightly to 6.6% from 6.3% in September. Busuyi Okeowo with Calgary Economic Development described the city's labour market as resilient but showing signs of near-term softness. Calgary continues to outperform its major peer cities, with the lowest unemployment rate and the highest employment rate (65.8%) among cities of the same tier.
Employment rates remained relatively high across many Alberta communities. The Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake area had the highest employment rate of any region, at 70.5%, while Red Deer's sat at 66.1%. The average employment rate in Canada last month was 60.8%.