Alberta Activity Index

Current issue date

Alberta Activity Index

Activity gains momentum

• The Alberta Activity Index (AAX)  increased further in February, reaching a new historical high.
• The index went up 1.4% month-over-month (m/m), supported by gains in household, business, and energy sectors.
• After two consecutive months of declines, activity in household sector improved on the back of very strong housing starts. For general business sector, combined gains in manufacturing shipments and new truck sales far outweighed declines in wholesale trade. Meanwhile, energy sector activity rose with improvements across all components. Labour market activity took a step back for the first time since October 2021 amid weaker average weekly earnings, which was tempered by slight increase in employment.
• The AAX was 4.7% higher year-to-date (YTD).

Chart: Year-over-year change in Alberta Activity Index and real GDP
(to February 2022)

Data table

The following file is available in the Open Government Portal:

• Alberta Activity Index Data Table (January 1981 to February 2022)

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 "Introducing the Alberta Activity Index" from the April 2017 Economic Trends (PDF, 281 KB).

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Contact

Zoia Komirenko, Economist
Alberta Treasury Board and Finance
Phone: 780-644-0021
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Email: [email protected]