Labour
Red Deer Labour Force
Red Deer’s economy includes a mix of industries that provide over 53,000 jobs. The city’s workforce is skilled and educated, with more than 4,000 businesses contributing to local employment.
Education
Red Deer has a young and educated population with an average age of 39.4. Over 52 per cent of the population indicates having attended training past high school such as post-secondary college certificates, diplomas or trades certifications.1
Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) is one reason for our highly skilled and educated workforce. RDP has over 80 program options, with 6,300 full and part-time students. The RDP is home to the Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing, which currently houses 4.2 million dollars in cutting edge, industry-leading, prototype and advanced manufacturing equipment. RDP also includes the Donald School of Business, and the Alternative Energy Lab. They work directly with local businesses to develop customized trade apprenticeships and training programs to keep up with the changing needs of industry.
In 2025, RDP celebrated its largest graduating class with approximately 980 students walking across the stage.
The top three fields of study held by the residents of the city of Red Deer is architecture, engineering and related trades, health, healthcare related fields, and business, management and public administation.1
Occupations and Projected Job Growth
The largest occupations held by residents are Sales and services; Trades, transport and equipment operators and related; Business, finance and administration; Education, Law and social, Community and Government; and Management.1
The largest projected job growth (by occupation) between 2018-2023 are Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (projected growth of 14 per cent); Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (projected growth of 13 per cent); Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations (projected growth of 10 per cent); Managers in Agriculture (projected growth of 24 per cent); and Elementary school and kindergarten teachers (projected growth of 1 per cent).2
For additional resources and industry specific data, visit our Investment Opportunity Engine.
Red Deer Economic Region - Labour Force
The Red Deer Economic Region (highlighted in red) is one of Alberta’s seven economic regions, covering central Alberta. It includes the City of Red Deer, Red Deer County, and surrounding municipalities such as Lacombe County, making it an important hub for agriculture, energy services, and manufacturing in the province.
