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“The trend is a positive sign but by no means am I saying, ‘You know, we are out of the woods, and hey, it’s time to celebrate.’ We know it’s going to take some time to get those unemployment numbers down, but again, this is why we have a number of initiatives we are rolling out,” he said at an event held at Assembly Coworking Space, a hub for tech startups and small businesses.

The report issued Monday links job estimates to specific government policies. Using a figure previously cited, the province says that the NDP’s decision to ramp up spending on infrastructure as an economic stimulus will sustain an average 10,000 jobs over three years.

Incentives for new petrochemical facilities will add up to 3,000 construction jobs and a further permanent 1,000 positions, says the report.

Thousands of other jobs will be supported by new tax credits, support for renewable energy, a reformed energy royalty system and investments in technology companies.

Sean Languedoc, CEO of software company Payload, said the government’s new investors tax credit programs — which it says will help support 9,000 jobs — are key to developing innovative new businesses in Calgary.

The energy downturn, while painful, means new opportunities in a city full of both skilled workers and potential capital, he said.

“There’s lots of money, more money in this city than I’ve seen in any other city, ready to invest,” said Languedoc, whose company is housed at the Assembly Coworking Space. “It just needs a motivation to divert from its traditional knowledge base, which is oil and gas, into other sectors.”