Is the $5,000 ‘Alberta is Calling’ signing bonus the right approach?

The $5,000 “Alberta is Calling” signing bonus is not going to solve the shortage of skilled workers in Canada, one expert has said.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the provincial government in Western Canada announced it is setting aside $10 million for the attraction bonus, which provides workers with a $5,000 refundable tax credit.

With the new incentive, the government hopes to attract out-of-province workers in the skilled trades.

However, Tricia Williams, director of Research at the Future Skills Center, in a City News report, commented that incentives and credits should be focused on growing the current pool of workers, rather than poaching currently available talent from other Canadian provinces or territories.

“We would be better served to focus on the people that are already in that pipeline. How do we support them to finish the programs they’re in? How do we recruit more people into those programs so that we’re maximizing the total availability of those skills,” said Williams in the report. “Taking a focus that really focuses on recruiting people from other provinces and territories is too short-term.”

In 2022, Alberta is Calling, a $2.6 million-campaign, highlighted the many lifestyle and career advantages Alberta offers – including higher wages, shorter commutes and job opportunities. Alberta also launched a phase of the campaign in 2023, focusing on attracting workers from across Ontario and Atlantic Canada.

Another phase of the Alberta is Calling campaign is coming later this year.

Instead of focusing on recruiting workers from other provinces, governments should be focused on getting more people into the skilled trades, and making sure that they complete their training, said Williams in the City News report.

“What we found in our research is that there are a lot of barriers to not just starting a skilled trades program, but also completing it. There’s a huge attrition and people have demands on their time, they can’t finish the program. It’s not always welcoming to women or new arrivals to Canada,” said Williams.

The whole country could suffer if these issues will not be fixed, she said. 

“We may need more direct training credits or more incentives to complete programs, more actual matching with employers, and staying really tightly focused on the demands in the labor market. But, really, I think Canada will only suffer if we’re just competing for the same pool of talent.”

Lack of investment in British Columbia

Despite this, Ontario Premier Doug Ford does not think workers in Ontario will leave for Alberta.

Asked if his government will introduce an incentive program similar to the one Alberta has, he replied: “We do right now when it comes to healthcare workers. We’re paying for their education, their books, along with our police officers, we’re paying for their education,” said Ford, adding he is not worried about losing people to Alberta, according to City News.

“I love the people of Alberta, but there’s no place like Ontario anywhere in the world and people are coming here by the droves,” said Ford. “There’s no better place in the world, and the world is talking about it, than here in Ontario.”

Meanwhile, in British Columbia, the MLA for Peace River North said that people in his riding are considering leaving due to a lack of investment in the resource sector, shortfalls in the healthcare system, and the rising cost of living, among others.

Alberta appears to be one of the ideal places to relocate for these people, said MLA Dan Davies in a report from CJDC.

"When people have the option to move to places like Alberta or Saskatchewan where they can find good paying jobs, where they can find affordable homes, and lower cost of living, it is no wonder that many are considering this as an option.”

According to Statistics Canada (StatCan), Alberta has a population of 4,756,408 in the fourth quarter of 2023, up from 4,695,290 in Q3 2023.

In the third quarter of the previous year, “all provinces and territories recorded losses in their interprovincial migration exchanges in the third quarter of 2023 except for Alberta, which continued to have the highest net gains (+17,094),” said StatCan in its Canada's population estimates, third quarter 2023 report.

Meanwhile, B.C. recorded its highest interprovincial migration loss in 20 years, with 12,800 people leaving the province and moving to other jurisdictions across Canada that quarter, noted CJDC.

“British Columbia experienced five consecutive quarters of interprovincial migration losses for the first time since the first quarter of 2013,” said StatCan.

Employers have plenty of resources to hire skilled trades workers, one expert previously told HRD Canada.