A surge in hiring within the health-care sectors of Alberta and Ontario has been the main driver of job growth in Canada, highlighting the slower performance of the overall economy rather than indicating improved patient care outcomes.
According to a report by Desjardins Group analyzing Statistics Canada data, the two provinces have collectively created over 100,000 health-care positions, primarily in public institutions, since the early stages of the U.S. trade war. This trend aligns with increased budget allocations for the sector in both provinces. Alberta and Ontario planned to allocate over $8 billion more each to health care in 2026 compared to the previous year, with Ontario budgeting $91.5 billion and Alberta budgeting $24 billion.
Desjardins’ deputy chief economist, Randall Bartlett, mentioned that without this hiring, the national employment scenario would have been stagnant, implying that claims of a flourishing Canadian economy may be overstated. Data from the Labour Force Survey indicates that since March 2025, almost 133,000 jobs were added in the health-care and social assistance sector, with a focus on hospitals and elderly care, surpassing job gains in all other industries combined.
The concentrated recruitment efforts in Alberta and Ontario are part of strategies to boost public health care services, aiming for tangible enhancements to the system. However, experts caution that increased spending and job growth in health care do not automatically translate to improved patient services. Fiona Clement, from the University of Calgary’s Centre for Health Policy, highlighted that not all health-care jobs are directly involved in patient care, raising concerns about the effectiveness of the hiring surge.
In Alberta, the restructuring of the health authority into multiple agencies has led to a growth in support staff rather than front-line care providers, as indicated by data from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta. The increased hiring may also be a response to anticipated demographic shifts, with a significant number of health professionals expected to retire in the coming years.
Moreover, experts suggest that the rise in health-care spending is a natural progression due to increasing demand as populations expand. The ongoing hiring trend is expected to persist in Alberta and Ontario, with additional health-care investments planned for the future. Alberta anticipates an annual spending growth of four to five percent, which could set a benchmark for other provinces facing similar health care demands.
Ultimately, the success of the hiring surge will be judged by the impact on patient care outcomes rather than just the number of new jobs created. Taxpayers will be looking for tangible results from the increased spending in terms of improved health-care services.