As Calgary attracts companies from around the world and local firms scale into homegrown global players, one thing is clear: growth depends on access to the right talent.
Calgary Economic Development (CED) works directly with companies, whether they’re expanding locally or entering the market for the first time, to help them access the talent they need to grow.
“Our talent support is centered around the clients we’re working with — whether they’re expanding here or new to Calgary,” said Megan Zimmerman, Vice President of Trade and Investor Experience at CED.
“It’s curated to their specific needs, their sector and the type of talent they’re trying to hire.”
Organizations located in Calgary, or considering a move to the city, can connect with CED’s Investor Experience team, to access supports in building their team through resources including:
- Talent attraction: We connect companies with skilled workers through targeted campaigns, job fairs and out-of-market activations
- Labour market intelligence: We provide data on talent availability, salary benchmarks and workforce trends to inform hiring strategies
- Talent wayfinding: We help companies navigate Calgary’s ecosystem — from post-secondaries to workforce programs, recruitment partners and available talent pathways
That support often starts by digging deeper into what companies actually mean when they say they “can’t find talent.”
“We start by listening to what employers are looking for and unpacking that with them — to understand what kind of talent, what seniority level, and at what scale do they need to build their team,” said Zimmerman.
“Then we bring data and connections to help them build a hiring strategy based on what’s actually happening in the market.”
Talent attraction and retention are key to building economic resilience — and are central pillars of Uplook: An Action Plan for Our Economy, Calgary’s long-term economic roadmap.
As workforce dynamics shift across Canada, CED is helping companies navigate a more complex talent landscape, aligning hiring strategies with available local, national and — where necessary — global talent pathways.
In some cases, that means strengthening local pipelines through initiatives like TalentED Greater Calgary, which connects employers with student talent through work-based learning opportunities. In others, it means helping companies broaden where and how they search while navigating evolving requirements and processes.
Talent Ready program helps Calgary companies solve workforce gaps
That challenge is already playing out in Calgary’s rapidly growing fintech sector.
Jobs are being created faster than the local talent pool can supply, creating a clear workforce gap for companies looking to scale.
To address this, CED, with support from Prairies Canada, partnered with 14 local companies through the Talent Ready program — a pilot initiative to help businesses access the talent they need to grow.
Through direct engagement with participating companies, CED identified hiring needs, workforce gaps and projected growth — with nearly 900 new jobs expected over the next few years.
“Talent Ready is about scaling our support — bringing together companies with similar talent needs and delivering something more targeted and impactful,” said Zimmerman.
From there, the program delivered a coordinated set of initiatives designed to attract and connect talent.
That included out-of-market activations like Elevate Festival in Toronto — a key fintech hiring market — where Calgary companies were showcased directly to job seekers through speaking opportunities and networking events.
CED also supported companies through targeted marketing campaigns, a virtual career fair connecting employers with candidates across Canada and the U.S. and partnerships with local workforce organizations to strengthen hiring pipelines.
The model is intentionally collaborative — bringing multiple companies together under a shared Calgary story.
“When we show up in a market together, it’s more powerful,” said Zimmerman.
“People don’t just want one job from one company — they want to see a range of opportunities and a real ecosystem.”
Building on that initial success, Talent Ready has since expanded into other high-growth sectors.
An aerospace-focused program followed, helping companies raise awareness of Calgary’s growing aviation and manufacturing ecosystem and attract talent from across Canada.
Most recently, an industrial-focused Talent Ready pilot took a more local approach, connecting employers with job seekers, post-secondary institutions, training providers and community organizations to help address workforce needs across logistics, warehousing and related roles.
Together, the three iterations of the program supported nearly 1,600 forecasted jobs.
“It’s not one-size-fits-all; it’s curated based on the companies involved, the sector and where that talent exists,” said Zimmerman.
The future of workforce development and talent attraction in Calgary
Designed as a flexible, scalable model, Talent Ready can adapt on a sector-by-sector basis, meeting talent where they are.
As Calgary continues to grow and diversify its economy, ensuring companies can access the talent they need will remain critical to long-term competitiveness.
“What we’ve learned through Talent Ready is that there’s no single solution,” said Zimmerman.
“The most effective support is targeted, responsive and built around the needs of the companies or sectors we’re working with — and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
Through programs like Talent Ready, CED is helping businesses tap into talent, build strong teams and continue growing in the Blue Sky City, reinforcing Calgary’s position as a place where companies can grow and people can build a life.
Discover how our Investor Experience team helps local, national and international companies find the space to grow, connect with skilled workers and navigate Calgary’s business environment.