Group layoffs in Alberta top 14,000

Most related to energy downturn

Group layoffs in Alberta have soared to more than 14,000 workers this year, with the oilpatch taking up the lion’s share of the growing total.

Pam Sharpe, of Alberta’s Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour ministry, said the government received another 15 layoff notices affecting 2,170 employees in September. Ninety-six group layoff notices affecting 14,472 workers have been issued in the province this year.

About 75 per cent of the notices are related to the downturn in the energy sector, said Sharpe.

Companies are required to give the province four weeks’ written notice of their intention to terminate the employment of 50 or more employees at a single location. For all of 2014, the province received 35 notices involving 7,508 employees.

A report Friday from RBC Economics said estimates from Statistics Canada show population growth in Alberta is moderating, falling from 2.8 per cent in 2014 to 1.8 per cent in 2015, due largely to an easing in net migration.

“These developments in migration flows no doubt partly reflect the economic challenges faced by Alberta since mid-2014; however, recent changes to the Temporary Foreign Workers Program by the federal government have also likely been a factor,” it said.

It said tighter restrictions affected Alberta disproportionately. In 2013, TFWP permit holders in Alberta had by far the largest share of the labour force at 1.7 per cent. Nationally, it was 0.5 per cent.

“TFWP rule changes and the economic shock caused by the plunge in oil prices undoubtedly lessened reliance on temporary foreign workers in the province in the past year,” added RBC.