Province sees 63 per cent hike in health-care job vacancies in Q1

The number of unfilled vacancies in Alberta's health care sector during the first quarter of 2021 was nearly 63 per cent higher than the average for the same time period in the previous five years, data from Statistics Canada shows.

The numbers, which include a range of health-related jobs from doctors and nurses to veterinarians and nutritionists in the healthcare category, show that Alberta had 2,655 health care vacancies in the first quarter of 2021.

The average number of vacancies during the first quarters of 2016 to 2020 was 1,633.

NDP labour critic Christina Gray said the Statistics Canada numbers are a clear sign of a health care system facing a serious shortage of skilled workers.

“We have front-line health care workers telling us that things are bad, things are unusual, there are more closures than usual, and we have a government telling us that this is normal,” she said.

“When we look at our Statcan data, we can see that this is not normal . ... We have a serious problem in this province; we need to be having a transparent conversation about this.”

In a statement, Alberta Health's assistant communications director Carolyn Gregson said Statcan's category of health occupations shows an overall national increase in vacancies and covers a wide range of jobs.

“The Statistics Canada job vacancy data definitely shows the impact the pandemic has had overall to the workforce in Canada, but is not a clear indicator of workforce mobility so it would be inaccurate to make that conclusion,” she said.

Gregson said most of Alberta Health Services' increased vacancies in the first quarter of 2021 were temporary or casual positions related to the COVID response.

“In Q1, AHS was ramping up efforts to support the second dose immunization of over one million Albertans. AHS does continue to see a higher number of temporary vacancies. As they demobilize their COVID -19 workforce, these temporary positions are being vacated as people return to their original positions or finish their term with AHS,” she said.

The data come as Alberta faces bed and unit closures at hospitals around the province due to staffing shortages. The government says the staffing issues and temporary closures are not severely affecting health care, despite the complaints of health-care workers.

Last week, AHS said only about 1.5 per cent of the province's hospital beds were closed, but the NDP Opposition says that percentage is much higher when you look at smaller communities.

Most recently, in Westlock, 10 of its 46 hospital beds were closed until the end of August and in Barrhead a lack of staff means the Barrhead Healthcare Centre obstetrics program closed from July 16 to 25 and will again close from Aug. 14 to 29.

On Wednesday, AHS said two of the University of Alberta Hospital's 14 operating rooms will be temporarily closed until Aug. 26 as part of a planned closure owing to normal surgical slowdown during the summer months, as well as some physician coverage challenges. AHS says two operating rooms were also closed in the summers of 2019 and 2020.

But a July 22 memo obtained by th end pl is ts 11 days between july 26 and Aug. 26 where at least one UAH operating room is slated to be closed due to “unexpected staffing challenges.” At the worst, four ORS are at risk of being closed for the day on Aug. 23.

Dr. David Zygun, AHS'S Edmonton zone medical director, said along with planned closures, other OR closures can happen unexpectedly.

“That can be anything from sick calls to unexpected vacancies to recruitment challenges,” he said.

Zygun said unexpected OR closures are not unusual and that numbers are “fluid.”

“We're obviously working continuously to minimize those closures,” he said, adding the province is working to recruit more staff.