A surge in hiring within the health-care sectors of Alberta and Ontario has been the main driver of job growth in Canada, signaling more about the sluggish state of the overall economy than about enhancing patient outcomes, according to a recent report from Desjardins Group. The two provinces have collectively added over 100,000 health-care positions in public institutions since the onset of the U.S. trade war, aligning with increased funding for the sector as indicated in their respective budgets.
Analyzing provincial budget data, Desjardins revealed that Alberta and Ontario planned to allocate over $8 billion more each for health care in 2026 compared to the previous year. Ontario budgeted $91.5 billion for health care in the previous year, while Alberta budgeted $24 billion.
Without the influx of health-care jobs, the national employment landscape would have remained largely stagnant, according to Desjardins deputy chief economist Randall Bartlett. This suggests that claims of a robust Canadian economy may be somewhat misleading.
Data from the Labour Force Survey shows a notable increase in health-care and social assistance roles across Canada, particularly in hospitals and services for the elderly, surpassing job growth in all other sectors combined since March 2025.
The concentrated hiring in Alberta and Ontario reflects a commitment to augment health-care spending, aiming to bolster the public health-care system. However, experts caution that increased spending and job creation in health care do not automatically translate to improved patient services.
Economists and health policy specialists emphasize that not all health-care jobs directly interact with patients, highlighting the complexity of the sector. In Alberta, the restructuring of the health authority has led to workforce expansion, although the impact on front-line patient care remains uncertain.
The bolstered health-care workforce in Alberta and Ontario may be compensating for previous slow hiring rates and could also be addressing impending demographic shifts, with a wave of retirements expected among health professionals in the coming years.
As per experts, escalating health-care spending is a natural progression due to population growth and increased demand for services, with hiring trends varying across regions based on evolving needs and capacities.
Despite the apparent surge in health-care spending, experts caution that the actual per capita spending growth may not be as significant once population changes and inflation are factored in. The focus should be on achieving better outcomes with efficient resource allocation rather than just increasing spending.
The sustained hiring momentum in the health-care sectors of Alberta and Ontario is projected to continue, with both provinces earmarking additional health-care funding in the coming years to address rising costs and accommodate an aging population. This trajectory is likely to persist with ongoing demands on provincial health-care systems.