Employment in Saskatchewan rose in January: Statistics Canada

Saskatchewan added 3,900 jobs in January, according to data released Friday by Statistics Canada.

The unemployment rate in the province was 5.5 per cent, the same as it was in December. The only provinces with lower unemployment rates were B.C. (5.1 per cent), Manitoba (5.1) and Quebec (5.4), while Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest rate at 12.8 per cent.

The Government of Saskatchewan noted the unemployment rate in the province was down from 7.2 per cent in January of 2021.

The seasonally adjusted national unemployment rose by 0.5 per cent last month to 6.5 per cent, the first increase in the rate since April. According to Statistics Canada, the country lost 200,000 jobs last month.

“With the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, many jurisdictions had implemented stricter public health measures by the Labour Force Survey (LFS) reference week of January 9 to 15,” the report by Stats Can said.

“Capacity limits or closures had been reintroduced in retail stores and high-contact settings such as restaurants, bars, concert halls and gyms. Also, schools in several jurisdictions had switched to online learning.”

The unemployment rates in both Regina (5.3 per cent) and Saskatoon (5.2) fell by 0.4 per cent from the previous month.

The provincial government said Saskatchewan added 24,600 jobs compared to January of 2021. That included 21,100 full-time positions.

“Saskatchewan’s economy continues to show resilience with more job gains and a lower unemployment rate,” Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison said in a media release.

“While other provinces decided to lockdown in the face of the Omicron wave, Saskatchewan stayed open. As we transition to living with COVID-19 and remaining restrictions are lifted, we expect Saskatchewan job creators and entrepreneurs to continue to create opportunity for all people in our great province.”

The province said off-reserve Aboriginal employment hit a record high for January at 56,900 jobs. Of those, 45,000 were full-time jobs — also a record for the month of January.

The biggest year-over-year gains in Saskatchewan were recorded in wholesale and retail trade (up 8,000 jobs) and construction (up 6,500 jobs). The private sector gained 15,600 jobs (a 5.0 per cent increase), female employment rose by 9,400 jobs (up 3.7 per cent), and employment among youth aged 15-24 increased by 9,900 jobs (a gain of 14.9 per cent).

According to the province, Saskatchewan’s seasonally adjusted employment of 574,600 in January exceeded its pre-COVID employment level of 574,100 from February of 2020.