Current issue date
The Alberta Activity Index was updated on June 30, 2020 to include April 2020 data.
Alberta Activity Index
The AAX retreats in April
- Economic activity plunged at a record pace in April, which marked a full month of widespread shutdowns and public health restrictions.
- The Alberta Activity Index (AAX) posted a record 8.1% month-over-month (m/m) decline in April, after dropping 5.3% m/m in the previous month. The plunge remains broad-based, with declines most prominent in the labour market and the general business sector.
- With back-to-back declines, the index dropped 13% since February, sinking to the lowest level since May-2011. Year-to-date, it was down 4.5%.
- Compared to a year ago, the AAX fell 15%, nearly double the next largest 12-month decline in May 2016.
Chart: Year-over-year change in Alberta Activity Index and real GDP
(to April 2020)
Source: Alberta Treasury Board and Finance
Data table
The following file is available in the Open Government Portal:
- Alberta Activity Index Data Table (January 1981 to April 2020)
About the Alberta Activity Index
Developed by Alberta Treasury Board and Finance, the Alberta Activity Index (AAX) is a weighted average of 9 monthly indicators:
- employment
- average weekly earnings
- retail trade
- wholesale trade
- manufacturing shipments
- new truck sales
- housing starts
- rigs drilling
- oil production
For more information on the AAX, please see the Introducing the Alberta Activity Index inFocus from the April 2017 Economic Trends (PDF, 281 KB).
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Contact
Daniel Letcher, Economist
Alberta Treasury Board and Finance
Phone: 780-415-8845
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Email: daniel.letcher@gov.ab.ca