Employment for transport truck drivers in Alberta rose by 6.8% in the first quarter this year despite overall job losses in the sector, according to Trucking HR Canada’s most recent labor market information snapshot for Alberta. The sector employed 47,100 drivers, up by 3,000 compared to Q1 2023.

“The job vacancy rate in truck transportation fell from 8.3% to 4.1% in the year leading up to Q4 2023. The results are significant, especially since vacancies in general across Alberta hit record highs in 2022,” said Craig Faucette, chief program officer at Trucking HR Canada, in a news release. “Reflecting challenges in the transportation sector, there were job losses among couriers and messengers, material handlers, managerial and administrative positions.”  

While labor supply held steady in the first quarter, with a 7% increase in the supply of drivers and more active job seekers across the sector in the province, job vacancies across the sector declined by nearly 60% in the last quarter of 2023.

Despite this, total employment in Alberta’s trucking and logistics sector in Q1 2024 was 110,200 workers, down 4,200 from the previous quarter but nearly unchanged from Q1 2023, falling by just 0.1%.

However, employment gains were significant among shippers and receivers, up 13.4% from last year. But the sector faced job losses among couriers and messengers, with 2,700 fewer workers in Q1 2024, a decline of almost 44% compared to the same time in 2023.   

Employment of material handlers decreased by 20%, with 1,700 fewer employees than in the same period last year, and managerial and administrative positions saw a nearly 5% decrease from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024.