Province looking to fill job openings in high-demand sectors
Alberta has launched a second Alberta is Calling campaign, calling on workers from outside of the province to come and help the province fill job openings in high-demand sectors.
This time, the provincial government is focusing on workers from across Ontario and Atlantic Canada. They can be employed in high-demand sectors like skilled trades, health care, food service and hospitality, accounting, engineering and technology.
“As Alberta continues to create jobs, attract investment and diversify its economy, we are once again putting out a call for skilled workers to join our great province and appreciate the quality of life that Alberta has to offer,” said Brian Jean, minister of jobs, economy and Northern development. “It is the Renewed Alberta Advantage, and I encourage more people to experience it for themselves.”
Alberta workers continue to have the highest weekly earnings of any province at $1,268, the provincial government notes.
The Alberta is Calling campaign highlights Alberta’s economic advantages, including the booming technology and innovation sector as well as offering the highest weekly earnings and lowest taxes in Canada.
The campaign also promotes lifestyle attractions including Calgary – North America’s most liveable city, the provincial government notes.
The $5-million push will include ads across multiple mediums, including radio, audio streaming, billboards, online display, social media and search engine marketing, said Jean in a Global News report.
Target locations
The second phase of the “Alberta is Calling” campaign will provide work opportunities to those who have been struggling to find one in key areas outside of the province.
The new phase of Alberta is Calling is launching in:
- Atlantic Canada:
St. John’s, N.L.; Charlottetown, P.E.I.; Moncton and Saint John, N.B.; and Halifax, N.S.
- Ontario:
Hamilton, London, Windsor, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay, Chatham, Timmins and Cornwall
“Almost every sector in Alberta needs people to fill the jobs,” said Jean in the report. “We targeted these because of the high unemployment but also because of the highly skilled trades.”
In January, the provincial government announced it is modifying the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) to give more opportunities for international, high-demand workers with close relatives in Alberta to fill job vacancies in the province.
Future campaigns
The first phase of the “Alberta is Calling” campaign focused on attracting workers from Vancouver and Toronto. And in just the third quarter of 2022, around 33,000 Canadians moved to Alberta, Jean said.
“Since last summer, nearly 70,000 individuals have moved here, the largest inflow of people we have seen in two decades,” said Adam Legge, president of the Business Council of Alberta. “Between opportunity and quality of life, Alberta has a fantastic value proposition and the Alberta is Calling campaign has helped to share this message. We look forward to welcoming even more Canadians to Alberta soon.”
In the future, it’s likely that Alberta will expand the program internationally to fill vacancies in areas such as health care, said Jean in The Canadian Press’s report.
"Obviously, we would want to target those countries where we need people who can actually come in with the fewest amounts of barriers, that means language barriers," he said. "That also means opportunities to have industries that are very similar to ours … similar educations.”
However, the government has not identified those countries yet, he said.
