If you’ve been hiring in Calgary’s accounting and finance market over the past few years, you already know that the landscape has shifted. What you might not fully appreciate yet is just how much it’s shifting again, right now, in real time.
The conversations we’re having across the city, with CFOs, Controllers, hiring managers, and CPA-designated candidates, all point to the same conclusion: the market is tightening, expectations are evolving, and the strategies that worked even twelve months ago aren’t going to cut it in 2026.
Here’s what Calgary employers need to know.
The Numbers Tell a Story of Momentum
Let’s start with the big picture. Alberta’s economy has shown remarkable resilience heading into 2026. According to the province’s Second Quarter Fiscal Update, employment is expected to rise 2.4% this year, though growth is forecast to slow to 1.7% in 2026 as population gains moderate. Calgary specifically is projected to grow by 2.4% in 2026, a rate that leads major Canadian cities and outpaces the national average.
But here’s where it gets interesting for finance hiring. January’s Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada showed Alberta adding 41,800 full-time positions in a single month, a surge that pushed the provincial unemployment rate down to 6.4%, placing Alberta below the national average of 6.5% for the first time in recent memory. Overall employment climbed by 20,000 in January alone, bringing net gains from January 2025 to 86,000, a year-over-year increase of 3.4%.
What makes this even more striking is the context. Nationally, Canada shed 25,000 jobs in January, while Alberta’s labour force expanded by 13,300. The finance, insurance, real estate and leasing sector specifically added 6,200 jobs, a meaningful signal for anyone recruiting in this space.
That’s the good news. The challenge? Calgary’s unemployment rate is still expected to hover around 7% in 2026 as ongoing uncertainty weighs on the labour market. And while Alberta is creating jobs at a faster rate than the rest of the country, it’s also adding people at an even faster rate, more than 200,000 new residents in 2024 alone, 100,000 of them in Calgary. As ATB Financial’s Chief Economist put it, “We’re in this really odd position where we’re leading the country in job growth, but we have recession-like levels of unemployment. It’s not because there’s mass layoffs, it’s just because we can’t keep pace.”
The CPA Supply Crunch Is Real—And It’s Getting Worse
Beneath Alberta’s robust job growth lies a structural constraint that every hiring manager needs to understand: a nationwide decline in CPA enrollments has created a persistent supply crunch. In Alberta specifically, CPA Alberta and BDO’s Five-Year Labour Market Study projects a need for approximately 1,000 new CPAs annually just to keep pace with retirements, population growth, and evolving business demands. That’s not a suggestion; that’s a necessity.
The numbers bear this out. Between 2022 and 2024, median CPA compensation rose 7.7%, surpassing Canada’s 6.4% inflation rate over the same period. Nationally, CPAs earned a median of $154,000 in 2024, more than double the $70,000 median for full-time workers across the broader Canadian workforce. In Alberta, that figure climbs even higher: CPA members in the province reported a median compensation of $169,000, followed by Ontario at $163,000 and Saskatchewan at $147,000. Early-career CPAs with less than three years of experience are already commanding a median of $92,000, and those with 25 years or more in the profession report a median of $194,000.
Industry also plays a major role in shaping earnings. Oil and gas led with a median of $200,000, followed by real estate at $180,000 and software at $178,000. Software showed particularly striking momentum, with one in three CPAs working in technology reporting a pay increase of 10% or more since 2023.
For employers, the message is clear: the talent pool is shallower than it appears, and competition for qualified CPAs is only going to intensify.
Candidate Behaviour Is Shifting—And Employers Need to Pay Attention
We’re also seeing meaningful changes in what candidates are looking for. Flexibility is no longer a perk, it’s the price of admission. Hybrid work arrangements, flexible hours, and the ability to work from home aren’t nice-to-have anymore. They’re baseline expectations.
But it goes beyond where people work. Candidates are asking different questions during interviews. They want to know about career progression, professional development opportunities, organizational culture, and whether they’ll have a genuine seat at the table. Technical accounting expertise remains essential, but it’s no longer sufficient on its own. Employers are increasingly looking for, and candidates are increasingly offering, commercial insight, data analytics capabilities, and the ability to influence strategy.
The sectors driving demand are also diversifying. Calgary’s tech workforce surged by an astounding 61.1% from 2021 to 2024. More Albertans now work in technology than in oil and gas. Sectors such as aviation, agri-food, advanced manufacturing, and petrochemicals are gaining momentum, supported by initiatives like Calgary’s Innovation Strategy and a three-year, $28.3 billion provincial capital plan. For finance professionals, this means opportunities to apply their expertise to business models with different risk profiles, capital cycles, and performance metrics.
The employment outlook for financial auditors and accountants in Alberta is rated as Moderate for the 2025-2027 period. Approximately 32,450 people work in this occupation in Alberta, with 32% employed in accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services, 11% in oil and gas extraction, and 6% in construction. The vast majority of 92% work full-time, compared to 80% across all occupations.
What does this mean for employers? It means you need to move faster, offer more, and think differently about how you attract and retain talent.
What Calgary Employers Should Do Differently in 2026
If you’re hiring in Calgary’s accounting and finance market right now, here’s what we’d suggest.
First, revisit your compensation strategy. The data is clear: CPA compensation is climbing, and candidates know their worth. If your salary ranges haven’t been updated in the past year, you’re likely already behind.
Second, think beyond the paycheck. Flexibility, career development, and meaningful work are increasingly driving career decisions. Candidates want to know that they’re not just filling a role, they’re building a career.
Third, move quickly. The best candidates aren’t staying on the market for long. In a tightening market, indecision is expensive.
Fourth, broaden your search. With Calgary’s economy diversifying, finance talent is increasingly coming from nontraditional sectors. Candidates with experience in technology, sustainability, or fintech might bring exactly the perspective your organization needs.
The finance hiring market in Calgary is changing again, and it’s changing fast. The employers who recognize this, adapt accordingly, and invest in their people will be the ones who thrive. The ones who don’t find themselves back at the hiring table every 6 months, wondering why they can’t seem to hold onto their best talent.
At BullsEye Recruitment, we’re seeing this shift play out in real time. We specialize in connecting Calgary’s top employers with senior accounting and finance professionals who can lead through change. If your organization is ready to build a finance team that can navigate what comes next, or if you’re a CPA-designated professional looking for your next opportunity, we’d welcome the conversation.
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