Released on October 5, 2001
Continuing challenges in Saskatchewan's agriculture sector stalled inSeptember the trend of job increases seen over the previous three months.
Following gains of 3,900 jobs in August, 2,700 jobs in July and 300 jobs in
June, Statistics Canada figures released today for September, 2001 show a
drop of 8,000 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis from last month.
Year over year, the province saw a drop of 10,100 agricultural jobs from
September, 2000. The agriculture downturn affected other sectors such as
trade and transportation, leading to a drop of 2,600 non-agricultural jobs
over the same period.
There were 474,200 people employed in Saskatchewan in September (seasonally
unadjusted figure).
"Our key agriculture sector is struggling, with weak commodity prices and
severe drought that has reduced yields by 25 to 30 per cent," Economic and
Co-operative Development Minister Eldon Lautermilch said. "While the
problems in agriculture clearly affect us all, our successes in economic
diversification are helping Saskatchewan deal with these challenges far
better than it would have a decade ago."
Lautermilch said the economy overall is performing well, with a number of
indicators that show general business confidence. Oil well drilling, oil,
gas and mineral production, retail sales, new vehicle sales and building
permit values are all up year over year, as are the number of business
incorporations. Employment gains were recorded in construction, resource
industries, finance, insurance and real estate in September, compared to
the same month last year.
On Thursday, Statistics Canada released its Help Wanted Index for
September, the indicator of employers looking to hire workers.
Saskatchewan recorded the highest ranking in the nation, a 5.1 per cent
increase over last September's index, and was one of only two provinces to
show a year-over-year increase.
Saskatchewan had the third lowest unemployment rate in Canada at 5.1 per
cent in September, an increase of 0.3 percentage points from the previous
year, but well below the national rate of 6.6 per cent. Regina and
Saskatoon had the third and fourth lowest unemployment rates among major
Canadian cities at 4.8 per cent and 5.1 per cent, respectively.
"We are moving through a tough period for one of our primary industries,
which speaks to the need to further nurture value-added industries,"
Lautermilch said. "However, I am encouraged by the efforts of countless
businesses, co-ops and communities, which are resulting in continued growth
for our province and continued promise and opportunity for our people."
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For more information, contact:
Bob Ellis
Economic and Co-operative Development
Regina
Phone (306) 787-1691