Released on April 7, 2000
For the third month in a row Saskatchewan is leading western Canada in jobgrowth.
Figures from Statistics Canada show employment in Saskatchewan grew by 3.2 per
cent from March 1999 to March 2000, compared to 3.1 per cent in Alberta, 2.5
per cent in British Columbia and 1.9 per cent in Manitoba.
There were 478,100 people working in Saskatchewan in March 2000, an increase of
15,000 from March of the previous year.
The number of unemployed also declined significantly during that time period.
There were 10,200 fewer unemployed people in Saskatchewan in March 2000
compared to March 1999, a drop of 28 per cent.
"Today's job figures once again demonstrate that our efforts to build and
diversify our economy are working," Economic and Co-operative Development
Minister Janice MacKinnon said. "Thanks to Saskatchewan businesses, co-
operatives and communities, our economy is growing and creating full-time jobs
for Saskatchewan people."
The number of people working full-time increased by 17,100 from March 1999 to
March 2000.
Overall, Saskatchewan's unemployment rate for March 2000 was 5.2 per cent – a
drop of 2.1 percentage points from March 1999 and well below the national
average of 7.3 per cent.
"Our budget set out a plan for dramatic reductions in income tax, making
Saskatchewan more competitive and allowing Saskatchewan businesses and co-
operatives to create even more jobs," MacKinnon said.
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For more information, contact:
Bob Ellis
Economic and Co-operative Development
Regina
Phone: (306) 787-1691
Note to Editors: These are seasonally unadjusted figures as supplied by
Statistics Canada. Adjusted and unadjusted figures can be found on Statistics
Canada's website: www.statscan.ca