Released on April 8, 2005
Saskatchewan has now put together a 12-month string of monthly job records.Statistics Canada figures released today show 479,500 people working in Saskatchewan last month (seasonally unadjusted figure). That's the highest figure for the month of March, topping the old record set five years ago and up 13,200 from March 2004.
"A full year of month-over-month job records is great news for everyone involved in building Saskatchewan," Industry and Resources Minister Eric Cline said. "Our economy is on a roll, with our high-performing businesses leading the charge."
The labour force has grown, full-time jobs in the province were up 10,600 over the previous March. Youth employment was up 2,700 over March 2004 and Saskatchewan had the second lowest youth unemployment rate among the provinces.
Job numbers increased last month in construction, manufacturing, transportation, trade, services and public administration. Employment in agriculture, finance, insurance and real estate and the resource industries was down in March compared to last year.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, Saskatchewan was one of only three provinces to buck a national trend in March of flat job growth over February and experience increases well above the national average.
Cline noted major economic forecasters from the Conference Board of Canada, CIBC and the Bank of Montreal are all placing Saskatchewan among the nation's leaders in economic growth this year. In a recent report, Statistics Canada expects Saskatchewan to lead all provinces in investment growth in 2005 at a rate double the national average.
Employers in Saskatchewan's two largest cities are optimistic, according to a recent report by Manpower Inc., a multi-national staffing company. Of the employers surveyed, 97 per cent of Regina employers and 100 per cent of Saskatoon employers expect their staffing levels to increase or stay the same for the coming quarter.
"Today's strong numbers speak to the ongoing diversification of Saskatchewan," Cline said. "We still face challenges in agriculture, but our economic momentum speaks well for our province as it moves into a new century of opportunity."
Saskatchewan had the second lowest unemployment rate in Canada in March at 5.5 per cent (seasonally unadjusted), down 1.0 percentage point from March 2004 and well below the national rate of 7.3 per cent. Regina had the third lowest unemployment rate among major Canadian cities at 4.3 per cent.
-30-
For More Information, Contact:
| Bob Ellis Industry and Resources Regina Phone: (306) 787-1691 |