Utilities (NAICS 22): Alberta, 2025
sectoral_profile_alberta_utilitiesHighlights
- The GDP of the utility sector in Alberta grew 2.7% from 2023 to 2024, driven in part by capital projects in electric power transmission and rural distribution.
- The utilities sector employed 20,800 workers in 2024, approximately 0.8% of the total workforce in Alberta.
- The workforce is predominately male (72.7%).
- Just over 17% of workers are retirement age (55+ years old).
- In Q4, 2024 the job vacancy rate was 1.2%, suggesting workforce stability.
- The median hourly wage in 2024 was $51.28, higher than the provincial median of $30.77 due to specialized skill requirements and occupational safety premiums.
About the Sector
The utilities sector is divided into three subsectors, electric‑power generation, transmission and distribution (NAICS 2211), natural‑gas distribution (2212) and water, sewage and other systems (2213). The overall utilities sector added $5.2 billion to provincial GDP in 2024, a 2.7% nominal increase compared to 2023. Electric‑power generation, transmission and distribution (NAICS 2211) produced $3.4 billion — 65.3% of Alberta’s utilities GDP in 2024 — while natural‑gas distribution (2212) added $1.2 billion (23.7%) and water/sewage systems (2213) $0.5 billion (0.2%).
Alberta utilities operate in a regulated privatized system, and therefore, there is no centralized distribution in the province. Some of the largest employers are electricity transmission and distribution companies such as ENMAX Power corporation in Calgary, EPCOR Utilities Inc. in Edmonton, FortisAlberta Inc., servicing over 60% of the population, ATCO Electric for clients across northern and east-central Alberta, and the largest electricity transmission company in the province, AltaLink. Apex Utilities Inc., a natural gas company, is one of the largest of its kind – distributing natural gas in central and southern Alberta.
The most abundant employment opportunities are in and around Calgary and Edmonton, the major population centres. However, those willing to work in rural and remote areas of the province have an opportunity to increase their income and gain unique experiences that can help them advance their careers. In those areas there is a steady demand for power system electricians, instrumentation technicians, line installers and repairers, and environmental and regulatory officers.
Composition and importance of the sector
Alberta’s utilities industry is unique among the western provinces in that services are not delivered by a provincial crown corporation. The system is primarily privatized, where utilities in B.C., Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are primarily or wholly public. The private system does not translate to greater choice for consumers. Since providing utilities requires a lot of capital investment and space, only one distribution company will provide services for a given area. These companies have a monopoly on distribution for their service area. Since the demand for utilities is highly inelastic, the companies are regulated by a number of arms-length agencies such as the Alberta Utilities Commission, Alberta Electric Systems Operator, Market Surveillance Administrator, Balancing Pool, and Utilities Consumer Advocate.
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric power generation, transmission and distribution (NAICS 2211) | 2,803.7 | 2,638.6 | 2,578.2 | 2,907.2 | 3,072.8 | 3,258.2 | 3,073.8 | 3,209.4 | 3,239.4 | 3,266.7 | 3,420.2 |
| Natural gas distribution (NAICS 2212) | 1,037.1 | 1,020.2 | 960.7 | 1,038.4 | 1,118.3 | 1,197.5 | 1,182.2 | 1,209.4 | 1,266.7 | 1,249.2 | 1,239.0 |
| Water, sewage and other systems (NAICS 2213) | 526.1 | 522.0 | 521.4 | 545.7 | 553.2 | 541.6 | 531.6 | 545.2 | 549.1 | 536.1 | 554.3 |
* Chained (2017) dollars
Source: Statistics Canada, Gross Domestic Product by Industry - Provincial and Territorial (Annual)
| Utilities (NAICS 22) | Others | |
|---|---|---|
| 1.44% | 98.56% |
* Current dollars
Source: Statistics Canada, Gross Domestic Product by Industry - Provincial and Territorial (Annual)
Geographical distribution of employment
In 2024, 47.6% (9,900) of utilities sector workers were in the Calgary economic region, followed by Edmonton (25.5% or 5,300), and Camrose–Drumheller (9.6% or 2,000). Alberta was the only western province where employment increased in 2024 compared to 2023. This may be attributed to the 2023 moratorium on renewable energy that was lifted in 2024. However, most of the gains were concentrated in Calgary (+26.9% or +2,100), as Edmonton (-20.9% or -1,400) and the combined regions of Banff–Jasper–Rocky Mountain House and Athabasca–Grand Prairie–Peace River lost jobs compared to 2023.
| Economic Regions, Alberta | Employment (x 1,000), 2024 | Sector (NAICS 22) Share (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Lethbridge-Medicine Hat, Alberta | -* | -* |
| Camrose-Drumheller, Alberta | 2.0 | 9.6% |
| Calgary, Alberta | 9.9 | 47.6% |
| Banff-Jasper-Rocky Mountain House and Athabasca-Grande Prairie-Peace River, Alberta | -* | -* |
| Red Deer, Alberta | -* | -* |
| Edmonton, Alberta | 5.3 | 25.5% |
| Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta | -* | -* |
-* suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey
Workforce
Workforce characteristics
In 2024 approximately 20,800 people were employed in the utilities sector in Alberta, 3.5% (+700) more than the year before. About 0.8% of all jobs in the province are utilities sector jobs. These jobs vary in educational requirements, but many require advanced skills and experience, particularly as utilities infrastructure is upgraded and modernized with new technology. The median hourly wage in 2024 was $51.28, the highest of all of the western provinces and $1.28 above the national median wage in the sector.
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men+ (15 years and over) | 12.5 | 14.3 | 11.6 | 12.7 | 14.8 | 15.7 | 13.3 | 11.5 | 13.1 | 16.3 | 15.3 |
| Women+ (15 years and over) | 4.3 | 4.1 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 6.2 | 5.9 | 7.0 | 7.3 | 6.2 | 3.8 | 5.5 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey
Age distribution within the utilities sector is weighted more heavily to individuals in the middle of their career. Only 13.9% of the workforce is under 30 years old, compared to the provincial average of 24.7% across all industries. The utilities sector in Alberta does not have as many workers near retirement either; 17.1% are 55 or older compared to 18.7% in the province overall. Indeed, 77.3% of utilities workers are core-aged (25 to 54 years old) compared to 67.3% in the province overall. As the sector continues to grow, younger workers and those entering the sector with transferable skills and knowledge should be attracted to an industry that offers high wages and job stability.
Occupations of Interest
With advances in technology, the utilities industry will become increasingly automated. Instrumentation and control technicians (NOC 22312) will be needed to work with the pneumatic, electronic, and microcomputer devices that are essential to utilities production and distribution.
Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics (NOC 22312)
- Install, inspect and test operation of instruments and systems to diagnose faults using pneumatic, electrical and electronic testing devices and precision measuring instruments.
- They may work in inclement weather, at varying heights, and in confined spaces.
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics (NOC 22312) | 5.9 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.9 | 2.3 | 4.4 | 6.4 | 4.4 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, ESDC custom table
- Instrumentation technicians are a designated trade in Alberta. There is a four-year apprenticeship consisting of a minimum of 1560 hours of on-the-job training and eight hours of classroom instruction in the first and second years, and a minimum of 1500 hours of on-the-job training and 10 weeks of classroom instruction in years three and four.
- Instrumentation and control technicians must complete a minimum of 72 months and 9,180 hours of work experience to obtain their journeyperson designation.
- The median wage in Alberta is $55.00 per hour, often with opportunities for overtime.
Recent History
The Government of Alberta launched the Market Pathways Initiative on August 1, 2023, the start of a project to overhaul the energy market to make the grid more reliable and affordable while protecting consumers and attracting new investments. The launch of the Market Pathways initiative also came with a temporary pause on all new renewable energy projects in the province. The pause was lifted at the end of February 2024 when the provincial government released a broader energy overhaul, replacing the Market Pathways Initiative with the Restructured Energy Market. The Alberta government implemented preliminary changes to the rules and principles that govern the electricity market in 2024 to align with the new Restructured Energy Market, which is expected to begin in 2027.
In the pursuit of reliable prices and supply, the government will prioritize reliable energy sources such as gas-fired power generation. Another part of the energy overhaul will be adopting hydrogen energy solutions. Amendments to the Energy and Utilities Statues will allow hydrogen blending in the natural gas distribution system. The provincial government anticipates that these policy changes will also attract new investment and accelerate upgrades to transmission lines and power storage facilities.
Updated, modernized, reliable utilities policy and infrastructure are a necessary part of the Government of Alberta’s strategy to attract $100 billion worth of investment in artificial intelligence data centres in the province in the next five years. These facilities require reliable energy, one of the reasons that the province is making such a strong push for natural gas power generation over renewable energy that ebbs and flows with the weather. The AI investment is already knocking at the door. According to the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO), new data centre projects requested 11,879 MW of electricity in Q1 2025, up from 200 MW the year before.
Early investments in line with the new energy paradigm have already started or have been announced. Linde, a global industrial gases and engineering company, will build a $2 billion clean hydrogen and atmospheric gases facility in Fort Saskatchewan. The project will create 750 jobs during construction, and 60 permanent jobs once completed. On the AI front, Beacon AI Centres announced plans to build six AI data centres near Edmonton and Calgary. The project will cost up to $10 billion and is expected to go live as early as 2027. This early signal that Alberta can become an AI data centre hub will incentivize further growth in the utilities sector.
Employment Outlook
New opportunities in Alberta’s utilities sector will be bolstered by its new energy market, technological innovation, and shifting market forces. Demand for roles that require more advanced technical skills related to clean energy advancement will likely drive employment trends in the sector moving forward.
As the environmental, political, and economic climate continue to change, the utilities sector in Alberta offers prospective workers opportunities to obtain stable, well-paying jobs, with room for professional growth. Advances in technology more broadly promise to keep pressure on governments to meet the associated power demands, ensuring long-term employment in the sector. At the same time, technological advances will increase demand for workers that may not have considered the utilities sector a generation ago. Demand for computer engineers, programmers, and cybersecurity professionals will increase as the sector keeps up with the rapid changes.
In preparing this document, the authors have taken care to provide clients with labour market information that is timely and accurate at the time of publication. Since labour market conditions are dynamic, some of the information presented here may have changed since this document was published. Users are encouraged to also refer to other sources for additional information on the local economy and labour market. Information contained in this document does not necessarily reflect official policies of Employment and Social Development Canada.
Portions of this sector profile were prepared with support from artificial intelligence (AI) tools, in accordance with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) guidelines. All AI-assisted content has been reviewed for accuracy and compliance with ESDC standards.
Prepared by: Labour Market Information Directorate, Service Canada - Western Canada and Territories (W-T) Region
For further information, please contact the Labour Market Information Directorate here.
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