With a jobless rate of 2.9 per cent, Regina now has the lowest urban unemployment rate in Canada, if not North America – part of a sterling job performance report that also shows Saskatchewan wages are now the second highest in the country and youth unemployment is the lowest.
Saskatchewan’s unemployment rate has been the lowest in the country for the eighth month in a row according to the new figures released by Statistics Canada.
In August, the unemployment rate in the province was 4.2 per cent, well below the 7.1 per cent posted nationally. Regina had the lowest unemployment rate among major Canadian cities at 2.9 per cent and Saskatoon had the second lowest unemployment rate at 4.3 per cent.
There were 564,900 people employed in the province last month, a record for the month of August and an increase of 15,800 or 2.9 per cent over the past 12 months. Saskatchewan ranked second among the provinces in terms of percentage gains.
“Saskatchewan’s a great place to be right now with a strong economy, great job opportunities and an attractive destination for investors,” Minister responsible for Energy and Resources Tim McMillan. “Large employment gains in manufacturing, health care and social assistance show the diversity of the Saskatchewan economy is truly its strength”
McMillan noted that First Nations and Métis people filled nearly one third of the new jobs. And, at 7.2 per cent, Saskatchewan’s youth unemployment rate is the lowest in the country and half that of the national rate.
Saskatchewan workers also enjoy higher wages. The average weekly earnings in the province are $939.58, the second highest in the nation and well above the Canadian average of $914.25, Statistics Canada reports.
