BY KIM GUTTORMSON, CALGARY HERALD
The promise of jobs is again luring people to Alberta, with the most Canadians heading here in the first three months of this year since the start of the boom.
Between January and the end of March, an estimated 5,300 more people moved to the province than left, according to Statistics Canada, the best first quarter since 2006.
Last year, net migration in those three months was 300.
"Especially in the past three or four months, the market has definitely picked up, especially in the energy professions," said Dale Pauls, recruiting manager for GFR Recruiting, which focuses on engineers. "The oilsands are definitely the buzzword out there."
Most of the new Albertans were coming from B.C., Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador, Statistics Canada demographer Jonathan Chagnon said.
Alberta saw a 0.4 per cent increase in population between January and April, while the Canadian increase was 0.2 per cent.
"We had expected this after falling during the recession that migration would pick back up," said Dan Sumner, economist with ATB Financial. "The job market is probably the most important thing.
"Overall, Canada's in great shape compared to the other developed nations, so that's going to attract people. And when you look within Canada, all the action's happening in Western Canada, and Newfoundland and Labrador."
A better chance of employment in Atlantic Canada could hurt Alberta, Sumner added, with many East Coast workers traditionally making the trek west for work.
Leone Joubert, CEO of West Works, which specializes in IT recruiting, said the company has noticed an increase in applications from other provinces, notably Ontario.
While most jobs are still filled from within Alberta, Joubert pointed out that "local talent is still available, but running out," adding the first three months of this year was the busiest first quarter she's had in nine years.
After the economy began slowing down, Alberta actually saw negative net migration in late 2009, with more people leaving the province than moving in. At the height of the boom, Calgary alone was adding between 17,000 and 25,000 people a year to its population through interprovincial and international immigration.
With the province easing out of the economic slow down, Alberta could face a shortage of 77,000 workers over the next 10 years, the provincial government has predicted.
"Within Canada, Alberta is a beacon of economic recovery," Thomas Lukaszuk, minister of employment and immigration said. "Canadians are picking up and moving to where the jobs are."
While he believes the public sector and private businesses are better prepared for an influx of people than during the boom, Lukaszuk said given the swath of baby boomers that will begin to retire this year, "we're walking into the perfect demographic storm where there will be severe and prolonged shortages."
The StatsCan numbers showed that while the numbers moving to Alberta from other provinces were solid, the number of those moving from other countries was the lowest first quarter since 2004.
"I think that number is a report card of the fact that Canada's national immigration policies are simply lacking and are not reflective of what the western provinces and the industries in the western provinces require," Lukaszuk said, adding that other countries do a better job of attracting workers.
kguttormson@calgaryherald.com
Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/Alberta+jobs+luring+more+Canadians+province/4991713/story.html#ixzz1Q9ydzire
Canada's population growth slows
Image via WikipediaCanada's population rose slightly from the start of the year to April 1, with Alberta registering the fastest increase and Ontario reporting its slowest first-quarter growth in 15 years, according to Statistics Canada.
But while the national total hit 34,349,200, the growth in population was lower, at 70,800, than the increase of about 85,200 for the first quarter of 2010, the federal agency reported Wednesday.
The slowdown was mainly due to a decline in net migration — the difference between the number of arrivals and departures — in the first quarter of 2011, at 49,500 compared to 58,100 in the same period in 2010.
Jonathan Chagnon, a demographer with Statistics Canada and one of the authors of Wednesday's report, told CBC News that the country's population growth has been slowing the past few quarters, but warns that an accurate picture can only be reflected over the full year.
One factor that may be reflecting the first-quarter 2011 slowdown compared to the previous year's period is that from January to the end of March, 2010, Canada took in its highest number of immigrants in years. The 49,500 in this latest reporting period may just be a matter of the country moving to a more regular level, he added in an interview from Ottawa.
Alberta's population reached 3,758,200, an increase of about 15,500 compared to the year-earlier quarter, and the highest-quarter increase since 2006. But the province also had its lowest net migration, at 3,600, for a first quarter since 2004.
The only province in Atlantic Canada with a population increase was Prince Edward Island, by nearly 400 to 143,800. P.E.I. also welcomed the most immigrants (500), relative to its population, compared to the rest of Canada. Newfoundland and Labrador's population fell by 700 to 508,400 as of April 1, partly the result of 500 people moving to other provinces.
On April 1, Nova Scotia's population was estimated at 942,300, a drop of nearly 1,100 over Jan. 1, with about 1,000 people reportedly moving to other provinces.
New Brunswick’s population, estimated at 753,000, changed little in this year’s first quarter compared to the year-ago period.
Ontario's immigration levels dip
In Central Canada, Ontario had 28,400 new residents as of April 1, the lowest number since 1996, mainly because the province received only 20,100 immigrants, its lowest first-quarter level since 1998.
Part of the reason for Ontario's lower immigration levels may be that other provinces "are trying to attract more immigrants," Chagnon said.
Quebec’s population rose by 14,600 to 7,957,600, with only 900 people leaving to settle in other provinces, the lowest number since 2005.
Other first-quarter findings in other regions compared to the same year-ago period:
- Manitoba: Population increased by just over 2,700 to 1,246,400. Reported it’s highest inflow of immigrants since 1972, at 2,800 people.
- Saskatchewan: Population rose by about 1,900, to about 1,054,000.
- British Columbia: Population rose by 9,200, to about 4,563,300, the slowest increase for a first quarter since 2005.
- The three territories: Their population remained relatively unchanged. Yukon’s was estimated at 34,400, Northwest Territories at 43,500, Nunavut at 33,400.
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