According to recent reports the oilsands region unemployment rate is very high, even higher than the average for the province and the nation as a whole. The rate of unemployment in the area has doubled in the last year. According to Data Statistics Canada the unemployment rate for the Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake region was 8.3% in April 2015. The national rate for the same time was 6.8%, and the provincial rate was 5.5%. These numbers are worrisome for those who live and work in the oilsands region. They are the result of dropping oil prices and the elimination of 3,500 jobs in the energy sector in Alberta. There are some who are advocating for optimism and saying that things will improve.

When asked about the unemployment rate in the oilsands region Alberta Federation of Labour President Gil McGowan stated “Almost all the heavy oil projects in the Fort McMurray areas have prices returning to five year averages, which is a good sign for future employment. Alberta doesn’t actually produce nearly as much West Texas Intermediate as it once did anyways. There are good reasons to worry, but also cases for optimism.” McGowan also touched on the temporary foreign worker program for the oilsands region, saying “This program was justified by both the business community and the federal government by saying there were labour shortages that couldn’t be met by Canadians. That’s clearly not the case in Fort McMurray anymore.” There are others who disagree though, and the temporary foreign worker program is still highly controversial for many Canadians.