Construction underway on a 415-unit development in West Lethbridge. May 28, 2026 (Image Credit: Dave Lueneberg | Lethbridge News Now)

By Dave Lueneberg

Rise in full-time work, drop in part-time

May labour force survey numbers unveiled by Alberta government

Jun 5, 2026 | 3:06 PM

Alberta labour figures for the month of May have been released.

According to the Province, there were 2,670,500 people employed Alberta-wide last month, up almost 14,000 from April, and an increase of 104,400 or 4.1 percent from May 2025.

Across the country, there was an additional 87,800 jobs created last month.

Alberta’s unemployment rate fell by 0.4 to 6.6 per cent, in line with the national rate.

Full-time employment climbed 25,700 while part-time employment actually fell by 11,800 when comparing May to April.

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Work in the public and private sector, last month, rose by a combined total of 14,100; self-employment positions fell by 100.

A growth spurt in the province’s population led to employment gains in the construction industry of 9,800, 8,300 in the health care and social services fields, and 5,300 in jobs deemed as recreation and culture.

Other figures released in the monthly labour force survey included the unemployment rate for Indigenous peoples living off reserve at 12.8%, a jump of 1.2 percentage points from the month prior and the number of jobs for First Nations men falling by 200 but spiking by 400 for Aboriginal women.

Below are the links to Alberta’s labour force surveys for May.

Alberta Labour Force Highlights – May 2026: https://open.alberta.ca/publications/1205-0709

Alberta Indigenous Labour Force Highlights – May 2026: https://open.alberta.ca/publications/3094714-highlights

by Dave Lueneberg

May labour force survey numbers unveiled by Alberta government

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