Alberta continues to struggle to retain young nurses, with 36 nurses under the age of 35 failing to renew their professional registrations for every 100 entering the workforce, according to a new report from the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI).The findings, released Thursday, show Alberta's nursing retention problems remain worse than the national average, despite improvements over the past decade.Across Canada, 34 nurses under 35 did not renew their registrations for every 100 young nurses who registered to practise in 2024.“For every 100 nurses under 35 who registered to practise in the country, 34 other young nurses did not renew their registration in 2024,” said Gerard Lucyshyn, MEI vice-president of research and author of the report.“While this is an improvement over the year before, the ratio remains high and puts undue pressure on our strained system.”Alberta's ratio improved by 13% compared with 2023 and 12% compared with 2014, but researchers warn the province continues to lose too many younger nurses.“The good news is that Alberta is finally making progress in terms of nurse retention; the bad news is that its outflow ratio remains high,” said Lucyshyn.“Alberta needs to give them the working conditions and flexibility they need to remain in the profession.”The findings come as Canada's healthcare system continues to face significant staffing shortages..According to the report, there were 27,139 vacant nursing positions across Canada in 2025.Although that represents a decline from 2023, the number of vacancies remains approximately three times higher than in 2016.British Columbia recorded the strongest retention performance in the country, with 26 nurses under 35 failing to renew their registrations for every 100 entering the profession.The province has reduced its young nurse outflow ratio by 53% since 2014.Researchers pointed to changes introduced by the BC College of Nurses and Midwives in 2022 that streamlined accreditation for internationally educated nurses.The province introduced a triple-track application process allowing internationally trained applicants to pursue registered nurse, licensed practical nurse and healthcare assistant designations.MEI argues provinces should also give nurses greater control over their schedules and employment arrangements.“Flexibility is key,” said Lucyshyn.“Nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system, and we need to ensure that the system works for them, not against them.”The report also highlighted troubling findings from a 2026 Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions survey examining working conditions across the profession.More than four in 10 nurses reported working involuntary overtime during the previous six months.More than 90% said they experienced some form of violence or abuse at work during the previous year, while half showed signs of burnout.MEI argues these working conditions contribute to difficulties retaining younger nurses and place additional pressure on an already strained healthcare system.The think tank recommends provinces consider adopting British Columbia's shift-swapping pools, which allow nurses to exchange shifts without requiring administrative approval.Researchers also recommend giving nurses greater freedom to work in private clinics, travel nursing agencies and telehealth companies..According to MEI, those arrangements could provide greater scheduling flexibility and improve work-life balance, potentially encouraging more nurses to remain in the profession.The organization argues government restrictions on healthcare employment limit opportunities for nurses to find working conditions that suit their needs.“Burning through young nurses today means having fewer nurses for tomorrow,” said Lucyshyn.“Protecting our healthcare system requires loosening the grip of the government monopoly in order to offer nurses the working conditions they deserve.”The Montreal Economic Institute is an independent public policy think tank with offices in Montreal, Ottawa and Calgary that advocates economic and entrepreneurship-based policy reforms.
