Job prospects General Practitioner (GP) in Alberta

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "general practitioner (GP)" in Alberta or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Alberta

The recent trends from the past 3 years were updated on July 25, 2025. The job outlooks over the next 3 years were updated on December 10, 2025.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be Very good for general practitioners and family physicians (NOC 31102) in Alberta for the 2025-2027 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to several new positions.
• A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

• Alberta's population and its proportion of residents aged 65+ are predicted to increase over the next decade, contributing to demand for this occupation. 
• Employment prospects for family physicians have improved driven by targeted government initiatives and rising healthcare demand.
• The province has launched several efforts to strengthen primary care, including the Modernizing Alberta's Primary Health Care System (MAPS) plan.
• MAPS promotes team-based care and improved access in underserved and rural areas, expanding the role of family physicians.
• The 2025–2028 Alberta Health Business Plan and Budget 2025 prioritize growing the healthcare workforce and reducing barriers to practice.
• These efforts are backed by increased funding for training, recruitment, and retention, with a focus on rural and Indigenous communities.
• As Alberta's population grows and healthcare needs intensify, family physicians are central to delivering accessible, patient-centered care, making this a high-opportunity occupation.

Here are some key facts about general practitioners and family physicians in Alberta:

• Approximately 9,200 people work in this occupation.
• General practitioners and family physicians mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Ambulatory health care services (NAICS 621): 60%
  • Hospitals (NAICS 622): 38%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 92% compared to 80% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 8% compared to 20% for all occupations
• 56% of general practitioners and family physicians work all year, while 44% work only part of the year, compared to 61% and 39% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 46 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
• 68% of general practitioners and family physicians are self-employed compared to an average of 15% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 51% compared to 53% for all occupations
  • Women: 49% compared to 47% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: n/a
  • high school diploma or equivalent: n/a
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: n/a
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: n/a
  • bachelor's degree: n/a
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: more than 95% compared to 9% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Alberta by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Labour market conditions over the next 10 years

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