Alberta appears to be suffering a brutal recession, new numbers show.

Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador, its partners in the commodities sector, have also been hurt, though to a lesser extent, according to fresh readings released today by Statistics Canada.

The Statistics Canada report on gross domestic product across the provinces showed Alberta’s economy contracting by a greater-than-expected 4 per cent last year amid the collapse in oil prices.

That followed years of strong growth that led the country.

“The big regional story of 2015 was a reshuffling of economic growth away from oil-producing regions of the country - and that reshuffling was even more significant than originally expected,” BMO Nesbitt Burns senior economist Robert Kavcic said of today’s numbers.

“This theme should continue to play out through 2016 as well.”

The report also showed Saskatchewan’s economy shrinking by 1.4 per cent, and that of Newfoundland and Labrador by 2.2 per cent.

In Alberta, goods-producing industries plunged 8.3 per cent, while the services side experienced a much small dip of 0.5 per cent.

“Lower oil prices led to a 38-per-cent decline in support activities for oil and gas extraction and a 34-per-cent decrease in oil and gas engineering construction,” the statistics agency said.

“Together, they accounted for most of the decline in GDP. However, non-conventional oil and gas extraction increased, as large oil sands projects increased output.”

This year, of course, Alberta is also suffering from the impact of the wildfires that tore through Fort McMurray, further hampering economic growth.

“The decline last year compares to the 5.3-per-cent drop during the Great Recession in 2009, and ends a run of five straight years of outperformance versus the national average,” BMO’s Mr. Kavcic said of Alberta.

Economists project a further hit to Alberta this year. The latest forecast from Bank of Nova Scotia this week, for example, suggested its economy would contract by a further 1.7 per cent in 2016, recovering a year later by 2.2 per cent.

Saskatchewan and Newfoundland are projected to eke out slim economic growth.

The toll on workers is crippling where Alberta is concerned.

Once boasting a jobless rate that was among the lowest in Canada, the Scotiabank forecasts suggest unemployment 7.5 per cent this year and 7.2 per cent in 2017.

While the commodity provinces suffer, others, such as British Columbia and Ontario, are projected to lead economic growth this year, having enjoyed expansions of 3 per cent and 2.5 per cent, respectively, in 2015.