A nurse, an accountant, and an engineer walk into a province. They all get jobs.
That’s one of several cheeky ads, paid for by the government of Alberta, taking over Canada’s busiest transit stations lately. It’s all part of a $2.6M “Alberta is Calling” campaign, which aims to lure skilled workers to the province with affordable housing and high wages.
Why it matters: Canadians are feeling extra strapped for cash these days. You know it. The government of Alberta knows it. So they might be onto something by targeting groggy commuters, making their way to work from their overpriced condos with $6 coffees.
- According to new Q2 data, the ads might not be necessary: Ontario saw its largest net outflow of people in over 60 years, while Alberta saw its largest inflow since 2014.
Speaking to The Peak, outgoing premier Jason Kenney laid out the case for Alberta:
- Back in June, Calgary tied with Zurich, Switzerland, for third place in the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) annual ranking of the world's most liveable cities.
- The price of an average detached home in Calgary and Edmonton is $636K and $469K, respectively, compared with $1.65M and $1.95M in Toronto and Vancouver.
- The median after-tax income in the province is $72K, ~10% higher than in Ontario and BC—plus, Albertans pay no sales, land transfer, or payroll taxes.
Why it’s happening: Alberta’s resource sector has boosted incomes and made it possible to keep taxes low, but with oil prices in flux and the transition to renewables well underway, the province will have to diversify its economy away from energy.
- But supporting growth in the financial, technology (which is setting records for venture funding), and renewables industries will take a lot of fresh talent.
Zoom out: A blueprint for this already exists. South of the border, millions of Californians have headed to Texas in recent years, attracted by the state’s lack of income tax, affordable real estate, and growing economy and job prospects—and big companies have followed.
- “The huge momentum of capital and jobs, especially in the tech space, from California to Texas is what we are consciously trying to replicate,” said Kenney.
There are some obvious similarities, said Kenney: “Lower taxes [that are] made possible, in part, by a large energy sector… the blessing [of it] being the revenues and the jobs and the curse, if you will, is that you can’t rely on it, you need to diversify.”
What’s next: As Kenney steps down, the mandate of building a high-skilled workforce might fall to Danielle Smith, who made news recently over a plan to ignore federal laws the provincial legislature disapproves of.
Editor’s note: Are you currently looking for a job in Alberta or want to move in or out of the province? Reply to this email. We’d love to hear about your experience.