Calgary lagging behind other major cities in remote, hybrid work: survey

Calgary is falling behind the rest of the country when it comes to flexible work arrangements, according to new national data that highlights a sharp shift back to in‑person jobs.

As many employers, including the Alberta government, push for full-time, on‑site work, a survey of more than 153,000 Canadian job seekers by JobLeads shows Calgary ranks last among major metropolitan areas for remote and hybrid opportunities.

Nearly 88 per cent of local job postings now require employees to be on site five days a week.

For software engineer Iryna Makaruk, the change has been dramatic. She once worked fully remote, but now spends three days a week in the office.

“It wasn’t that difficult a few years ago, when there were more options for remote work,” she said. “But now companies are trying to keep employees in the office. It’s difficult for me, especially since I have a small child.”

Makaruk says finding a fully remote role in Calgary has become “nearly impossible,” a sentiment echoed by career experts.

Ariel Hennig Wood, a career coach with Parley Coaching, says Calgary’s economic makeup plays a major role.

“Calgary’s industry is dominated by energy, construction, manufacturing, and logistics sectors that require a lot of in‑person and on‑site work,” she explained. “Work sectors like finance, tech, and professional services that are more local to Montreal or Toronto would have more options for remote or hybrid schedules.”

Nationally, flexible work is far more common. Montreal leads the country with 34 per cent of jobs offering remote or hybrid options, followed by Toronto at 23 per cent and Vancouver at 19.5 per cent.

On Calgary streets, workers say they’ve noticed the shift.

One job seeker said remote roles are “pretty hard to get… especially in this economy.”

Another noted that offices feel fuller than they have in years, though they still enjoy the “perk” of a hybrid schedule.

For Makaruk, however, returning to the office full time simply isn’t feasible.

“If I’m forced to go to the office five days per week, I will consider changing my job,” she said.