Calgary’s unemployment dropped to 6.8 per cent last month, but while unemployment remains high compared to the rest of Canada, some experts are pointing to several encouraging signs for the job market.
While Calgary saw its unemployment rate decline from 7.1 per cent in June, it still remains higher than the national rate of 6.4 per cent, according to new data from Statistics Canada. Calgary’s unemployment rate remains second highest among major cities in Canada, behind only Edmonton.
But the City of Calgary’s labour market review for July 2026 shows growth in the local job market, with 56,900 new jobs added year-over-year.
More full-time jobs in Calgary
The number of full-time jobs in Calgary grew last month with 16,600 new positions. Brad Parry, president and CEO of Calgary Economic Development, said the increase in new jobs is a signal that companies are confident in the longer-term outlook for the economy.
“They’re seeing more opportunity in the long term, so they’re willing to bring in those full-time staff and support the growth,” Parry said.
Calgary’s momentum is likely coming from optimism in the energy sector, driven in part by the price of oil, said Parry.
“With the prices of oil the way they are now, that sends some confidence that there’s some long-term investments that are going to happen,” says Parry.
High oil prices and the MOU signed by the provincial and federal governments are both positive indicators that more investment and opportunity is on the horizon.
“People are starting to gear up for those bigger opportunities later on down the line,” says Parry.
Calgary job market diversifies
Ariel Hennig Wood, a career coach with Canada Career Counselling, noted Calgary’s job market is benefiting from which sectors are growing.
“It’s an interesting market that we have at the moment,’ said Ariel Hennig Wood, a career coach with Canada Career Counselling, in an interview with CBC Radio’s Calgary Eyeopener on Monday.
“We’re seeing growth in different industries then maybe we had, say, 10 years ago.”
LISTEN | Calgary’s unemployment declined in July:
The health care and social assistance sector led growth in Calgary, said the city’s labour market review for July, with 22,800 new jobs.
A large portion of the new jobs were for ambulatory health care services, including offices of physicians and dentists, out-patient care centres, diagnostic laboratories and home health care.
Construction and public administration were the other largest drivers with 13,300 and 11,200 jobs added respectively.
Population growth a factor
The city’s labour market review also stated growth in industries like health care reflect growing demand as Alberta’s population continues to grow.
Similarly, Hennig Wood said Alberta’s growing population is one reason Calgary’s unemployment rate is above the national average
“That number of unemployment being higher than the national average, I think is quite affected by that transition of cross-border immigration that we have of more people coming to Alberta than pretty much any other province in Canada,” said Hennig Wood.
Calgary also has one of the highest employment rates in Canada at 66.8 per cent. Parry said Calgary’s high labour force participation signals opportunity and optimism for long-term employment in the city.
The labour market review said the largest loss of jobs in Calgary was in professional, scientific and technical services with an 8.7 per cent contraction, which it said is a concern given the size of the industry and its above-average wages.