Released on May 8, 2009
Saskatchewan is now the only province in Canada with more people working now than one year ago, according to the latest employment report released today by Statistics Canada.
There were 512,800 people working in Saskatchewan in April 2009, an increase of 9,700 over April 2008. All other provinces lost jobs during that same period. Overall, the number of people working in Canada has dropped by 270,400 over the past 12 months.
Saskatchewan has the second lowest unemployment rate in Canada at 5.4 per cent.
Advanced Education, Employment and Labour Minister Rob Norris said despite some recent layoffs in the province, Saskatchewan's economy remains stronger than any other part of Canada.
"Saskatchewan is still the best place in Canada to be looking for work," Norris said. "While some sectors have been hard hit by the global recession, there are still a lot more people working in Saskatchewan than there were a year ago, and our government is taking steps to keep our economy strong and steady during this time."
Saskatchewan also continues to show strong job growth for women and for Aboriginal workers. Employment for women is up 10,300, or 4.4 per cent over the past year, while Aboriginal employment is up 1,800, or 5.5 per cent.
Regina has the lowest unemployment rate among major Canadian cities at 4.4 per cent while Saskatoon is fourth at 5.2 per cent.
Norris said for those who have been recently laid off, there are job opportunities and services available.
"If you go to the Saskjobs.ca website, there are more than 6,600 job openings listed today, as well as information on our Rapid Response Teams, which provide assistance on resume writing, skills training, and other support services to help find a new job here in Saskatchewan," Norris said.
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For more information, contact:
Christopher Jones-Bonk
Advanced Education, Employment and Labour
Regina
Phone: 306-798-3106
Email: chris.jones-bonk@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-531-4904