Current issue date
The Alberta Activity Index was updated on April 3, 2020 to include January 2020 data.
Alberta Activity Index
Energy sector supports activity
- Economic activity improved in January.
- The Alberta Activity Index rose 0.3% month-over-month, the second monthly gain after taking a dip in November 2019.
- There were gains in the energy sector and general business activity, with the former driven by a resurgence in rigs drilling. These increases were moderated by declines in household activity and the labour market.
- Compared to a year ago, the AAX was up 0.4%, mainly due to higher energy sector activity. In January 2019, government-mandated production limits in the province came into effect and weighed down on oil production and drilling activity.
- The impacts of COVID on economic activity in Alberta will be seen in the coming months.
Chart: Year-over-year change in Alberta Activity Index and real GDP
(to January 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 January 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