Released on June 12, 2000
Saskatchewan has recorded its fifth straight month of solid job growth, and istied for the lead among western provinces.
Job figures released Friday by Statistics Canada show the Saskatchewan economy
has created an average of 13,100 new jobs in the first five months of this
year. The province is tied with Alberta in year-to-date employment growth
among the western provinces at approximately 2.8 per cent.
There were 496,100 people working in Saskatchewan in May 2000, an increase of
14,600 from May of the previous year.
The number of unemployed people dropped by 9,700 from May 1999 to May 2000, a
decrease of 26 per cent.
"This is more good news for the Saskatchewan economy, and shows that our
efforts to diversify in recent years are paying off," Economic and Co-operative
Development Minister Janice MacKinnon said. "More importantly, we continue to
show a steady increase in the number of full-time jobs, the kinds of jobs that
create opportunity and stability for our families."
The number of people working full-time increased by 18,600 from May 1999 to May
2000.
Saskatchewan's overall unemployment rate was 5.2 per cent for May 2000, a drop
of 1.9 percentage points from May 1999, and well below the national average of
6.8 per cent.
Regina had the lowest unemployment rate among major Canadian cities at 4.5 per
cent.
"While job numbers fluctuate from month-to-month, the overall trend shows a
continuing increase in employment growth and an expanding economy," 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