Emotional toll is high for out-of-province workers seeking fortune in the Prairies

Residents in Eastern and Atlantic Canada are increasingly looking towards the lucrative West for job opportunities, but a new survey shows that the emotional toll for those jobs is a steep one.

A new survey out of Prince Edward Island shows the conflicting emotions at play when an Islander chooses to seek his or her fortunes in the west, often having to leave behind friends, family and children in the process.

The authors of the ‘Out West’ survey say that many residents of P.E.I. are looking for an income more in line with their cost of living, prompting them to seek their fortunes in places like Alberta and Saskatchewan where the economies are booming. Companies are often willing to offer perks like flights home, in addition to higher salaries, to those willing to work out west at least temporarily.

But Christy Morgan, owner of CollaborentHR – the firm that conducted the survey – notes that the emotional cost of leaving home is a major factor in deciding whether to move west.

“It kind of surprised me the sacrifices that families are willing to make to actually make ends meet and stay here too,” she told The Guardian.

According to the ‘Out West’ Labour Market Survey, one third of the people surveyed said the emotional impact on their partner was either strongly or somewhat negative. Thirteen per cent said they have considered divorce.

When it came to the emotional impact of the move on children, 30 per cent said it had a strongly negative or somewhat negative effect on the kids.

The sample size for the survey was small – just 159 respondents completed it, including those who have either worked in the west, are considering working in the west, who have consciously decided against it or are the spouses of those who are working out west.

The majority of respondents were satisfied with their decision to work out west and nearly half of the respondents said they were significantly better off in a financial sense.

Yet more than half of those surveyed said they would consider returning to P.E.I. if the right job came along, regardless of salary. It should be noted, however, that those questioned were workers who had already returned home to P.E.I. after working. Presumably those who still stay would generally view the experience more favourably.

Still, the responses are valuable when considering why those people would choose to return home. Based on the responses, staying close to family and preserving local relationships is a key factor when considering a move out west.

While the survey asked generally about working in the west, the issue most encircles Alberta, where the oil sands have been consuming much the country’s available work force for the past decade.

It isn’t just P.E.I. seeing workers been drawn by Alberta’s oilsands economy, either.

Statistics Canada numbers note that in 2013, Alberta accepted migrants from every other province, the largest numbers of which came from Ontario (22,400), British Columbia (11,200) and Nova Scotia (4,900).

If recent trends are any indication, however, fewer workers may be debating between living in their home province and heading to Alberta to work.

In recent months, the seemingly unstoppable employment juggernaut of Alberta’s oilsands has begun to falter. The Financial Post reported that Civeo Corp. was cutting one third of its Canadian workforce due to falling oil prices and cancelled project.

CTV News reported that Maritimers in particular were returning home as jobs dried up in Alberta.

If the golden goose that has provided so many with jobs in Canada’s west stops laying eggs, the lure of family and community roots back home will only grow stronger.