Picture Alberta. What do you see? Many might imagine landscapes of vast, yellow canola fields, diverse wildlife, and breath-taking sunsets behind the silhouettes of rhythmic oil rigs. Generations have called this province home, but a growing number of youth are moving on to greener pastures (or bigger cities).
Since 2016, more youth have left Alberta than moved in. A pair of reports by the Canada West Foundation highlight this concern, and look to explain why this is happening. Stephany Laverty is a Policy Analyst for the Canada West Foundation and helped research and write these reports. I spoke to her about her findings.
What are the biggest take-aways from the reports?
So one of the things we found was that there’s very much the perception that Alberta is oil and gas heavy. Youth aren’t as interested in traditional oil and gas jobs. There’s concerns about where the sector is going, transition and everything else. Plus, with climate change, that’s a very big driver for this generation.
There’s issues with the perception of the economy; that they can’t find the career pathways that can grow in the jobs that they want to do here, and they have to look elsewhere. So that’s part of it. Then there’s also the value factor side of it; do they see their values reflected in the place we live? We know that this generation has very different values than the older generation, and that also plays a significant role.
How are values shifting in Alberta’s youth?
They really want inclusivity and diversity, diversity of opportunity, diversity of people and inclusion of diverse people. So minorities and the LGBTQ community. We also know that this generation is more diverse in all of those communities than prior generations.
So of course they’re going to want to see more inclusion and representation of themselves in their workplaces, where they’re being educated, where they’re living. And then again, that kind of negative connotation of oil and gas as well.
What are common traits in youth that choose to leave the province?
Everyone has very different goals, aspirations, and also life stage. So when you’re 15 to 19, you’re kind of thinking about “where do I want to go to school? What do I want to do? Do I want to go to school where I am? Do I want to go somewhere else?” So you expect to see kind of a fluctuation there in people leaving the province.
And then the 20 to 24 year olds. That’s kind of where you see more like, “I finished school. I’ve been working for a bit after high school. Is this the career path I want to go down? Do I want to continue with schooling?”
And then really where we’re actually seeing the population leave is in the 25 to 29 year old cohort, which is interesting because that’s where you generally see people who’ve decided, “Oh, I want to work. This is the path I want to take.” They’re trying to grow their careers. That’s really where we’re actually seeing the people leave. So the really interesting point is that people aren’t choosing to build their careers here, and that’s concerning.
People aren’t choosing to build their careers here, and that’s concerning.
Stephany Levarty, Policy Analyst for Canada West Foundation
Is the perception that career opportunities in Alberta are mainly in oil and gas correct?
You know, there’s perception and then there’s reality. Canada West just did what we call a public policy on energy jobs in the future and talking to young people who are employed in energy in Alberta. And not just in traditional gas, but then renewables, clean tech, hydrogen, those sorts of things.
So we know even within energy, there’s different opportunities, but there’s also agriculture, AG tech. That’s a huge thing that I think a lot of people aren’t really paying attention to as well. And the tech opportunities in Calgary, in Edmonton, those are growing and expanding.
Why are so many youths unaware of these opportunities?
I think we just need to do a better job of communicating the reality. And that’s something stakeholders really need to do is communicate the reality. There are opportunities available here. There are things outside of traditional oil and gas, but even within traditional oil and gas, if you want to get into it, there’s also carbon capture and storage and those sorts of things.
Is there a difference between youth that live in rural Alberta versus those that live in Edmonton and Calgary?
The trend we see is that people in rural Alberta are really looking at Edmonton or Calgary and moving to Edmonton or Calgary. And then people in Edmonton and Calgary are more so looking to get out of the province. That seems to be kind of the trend line.
What can Alberta do to appeal more to youth?
We’re working with the economic development agencies on how can we tell these stories better. One of the other things we recommend, which actually came from Dr. David Finch, who was a co writer on this report, is from his marketing class at Mount Morale University.
We kind of went to them and said, “What do you think?” And one of the things they recommended was rebranding Alberta, but having that brand owned by nonpartisan, community led, grassroots sort of “we are Alberta, we are reflective of a variety of industries and people” and that sort of thing to help communicate that message within the province but also outside of the province.
The reports, The Young Are Restless: Western youth migration and Work to Live: Alberta youth mobility are available to read for free on Canada West Foundation‘s website. They highlight important statistics and provide a list of changes Alberta and its businesses can incorporate to better cater to youth.
