Employed Calgarians still face food insecurity: food bank report
Posted May 22, 2025 10:41 am.
Despite being employed, many Calgarians are still experiencing food insecurity, according to a new report.
The data, released by the Calgary Food Bank, was compiled following 30 in-depth interviews with employed clients and 1,525 survey respondents.
It revealed that unemployment isn’t what’s pushing Calgarians to access food resources, but rather the shortfalls of their employment.
Among food bank users, 65 per cent make money from a job. However, just 27 per cent are employed full-time. Part-time employment among Calgary food bank clients is around 19 per cent.
Despite an average wage of $19 per hour, significantly higher than Alberta’s $15 per hour minimum wage, working Calgarians still struggle to make ends meet.
“I make around $2,500 per month as an office clerk, but my rent and utilities are $2,200 per month so I can’t make ends meet,” said one Calgarians.
Insufficient wages aren’t the only hurdle for working Calgarians; they also say limited and inconsistent hours, and lack of job security are impacting their ability to feed themselves and their families.
Female-led single parent households are most likely to face severe food insecurity despite being employed, as are Indigenous individuals, and those living with a disability.
Severe food insecurity is characterized by skipping meals, reducing food intake and, the most extreme, going days without food.
The food bank says the rising cost of living is a significant factor in this issue, explaining that many feel their wages haven’t kept pace with inflation.
The price of food in Canada continues to rise despite the annual pace of inflation cooling last month.. Statistics Canada reported this week that food bought from stores increased 3.8 per cent in price year-over-year.
April was the third straight month grocery prices outpaced the overall inflation rate.
